There were many stressful moments during the making and release of The Flash. It was filmed in the middle of a pandemic. She was isolated from friends and family for 138 days during filming. There were A-list tables to coordinate guest appearances. There was one star in Ezra Miller who made headlines for legal escapades during a post-recording mental crisis. And behind it is a studio that has changed course and is rethinking DC Comics' entire strategy.
But first they had to figure out how to get the two-ton Batmobile from Los Angeles to the UK in 2021 amid a global shipping container shortage.
It wasn't just any Batmobile. It was one of the Tim Burton film originals that saw Michael Keaton's caped crusader make his grand comeback after 30 years: a massive production that also involved building a life-size replica of the Batcave from the ground up.
Director Andy Mussetti and his sister, producer Barbara Mussetti, eagerly awaited the film's arrival, worried if it would arrive on time or just crash in the middle of the sea. When it landed, they breathed a sigh of relief, celebrated briefly, and then moved on to the next challenge: getting it to Warner Bros. How to get into the Batcave at Leavesden Studios. Ultimately, it had to be loaded onto a converted airport truck, which was lifted 20 feet (6 meters) into the air and "gently" rolled over the set.
"It all came with a little bang," Barbara Musketti laughed in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
While that's a deliberately simplistic description of The Flash, which hits theaters June 16, it comes in very handy. Film versions of the super-fast comic book character have been in various stages of development since the late 1980s. A screenplay directed by Ryan Reynolds and David S. Goyer; another set the stage for spin-offs and indies starring George Miller and Adam Brody.
Then, in 2014, things began to take shape, including the Warner Bros. DC Comics shared universe, including Miller's standalone Flash as Barry Allen, who made his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad. . and Justice League.
But even that wasn't easy, as disagreements over the tone and scheduling conflicts made things even more complicated. Several writers and directors were involved in the development of The Flash and the release dates were pushed back, including Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Seth Grahame-Smith, Rick Famuyiwa, Robert Zemeckis, and John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Ezra Miller even worked on his screenplay.
The Muschiettis were finishing "Chapter Two" when the studio approached them about "The Flash." They didn't care about Marathon's messy development story, they just wanted to know if it was worth a few years of her life. In the story, Andy Muschietti found a compelling emotional basis: the relationship between Barry Allen and his mother, who was murdered as a child, and whom he wishes to go back in time to save. Back to the Future, which was briefly mentioned in The Flash, was also one of his favorites. Are included.
Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hobson chimed in on the story and came up with something funny and emotional by introducing a multiverse into DC canon. During Barry Allen's quest to save his mother, he is accidentally thrown into an alternate timeline and encounters another, younger version of himself who gets carried away along the journey. This led to many opportunities, including Keaton's return to Ben Affleck's Zack Snyder's Batman.
"We're all excited for the return of Michael Keaton after 30 years of not knowing what Batman was thinking," said Andy Muschietti. "The multiverse allowed for that and connected existing characters, the existing universe, to something that seemed buried in the past."
Keaton rushed to a dinner party in Brentwood and was told they couldn't shoot the film without him. They wanted to find their Bruce Wayne where people weren't expecting him. When the meal was over, Keaton agreed and fled.
"I don't want him sitting by the fire and enjoying a glass of whiskey," Andy Muschietti said. "I knew he was going to be Batman again, so in the tradition of a reluctant hero, he had to be in a place that made that transformation possible."
Keaton's Batman was also scheduled to return in the standalone Batgirl film, but it was not completed.
The Flash has other nostalgic titles, including an army of prime-time cameos that lay the groundwork for a "universe reboot." Major leadership changes occurred during filming of the film at Warner Bros. and particularly at DC Studios, where new co-chairs and CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran were tasked with planning the future of the DC Universe characters. From Superman to Batman. This new vision won't officially take effect until Gunn's new Superman in 2025, but he also said The Flash "resets the entire DC Universe," despite technically being a prequel mode.
But during the lengthy post-production of The Flash last year, star Ezra Miller also made headlines with a string of arrests and reports of erratic behavior. You were arrested twice in Hawaii last year, including for misconduct and harassment at a karaoke bar. In January, they pleaded guilty to breaking into a neighbor's house and stealing alcohol in Vermont. They escaped jail time but paid a $500 fine and received a year's probation, agreeing to a number of conditions, including continuing mental health treatment.
While some wondered if "The Flash" had been canceled, the studio promised to release it on June 16, even without its stars on the commercial scene.
“We are in contact with them. You love the movie. You support him. And they take their treatments very seriously,” says Barbara Muschietti of Miller. "We want everyone to see it. It's wonderful and special. And we have all our hearts and courage.”
Despite the likes of Gunn calling it one of the best superhero films of all time, reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising Miller's dual roles.
"What you get is this beautiful, odd couple," Barbarauzzietti. "You forget it's the same actor."
Mussetti's relationship with DC will continue in future films as well. But for now, The Flash is in the spotlight.
"Let's wait and see," says Andy Muschietti.