With only four more months to go, Warner Bros. has finally revealed the first full trailer for the upcoming DC event film The Flash, from director Andy Muschietti and writer Christina Hodson.
Ezra Miller reprises the role of Barry Allen/The Flash for his first solo entry, with Ben Affleck also teaming up with him in what will likely be his last hurrah as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He’s not the only Batman in the film, though — as it’s well-known, Michael Keaton is coming back in the role as well, thirty years later. The film is also set to include a plethora of other characters from across the DC roster, including Michael Shannon as Zod and Sasha Calle as Kara Kent/Supergirl.
Check out the first trailer here:
The Flash Official Trailer
Warner Bros. is hoping to make a big splash with this film, which has been internally praised as one of the best DC films they’ve made in recent memory. James Gunn even called it “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made” during the press event on Jan. 30 where they revealed the first few projects of the forthcoming DCU. The filmmaker also shared the promo on social media, writing “I love this movie so much. Can’t wait for you all to see it.”
The studio will also run a shorter version of the trailer live on television during one of the commercial breaks of the Super Bowl.
The big elephant in the room is obviously Ezra Miller and the long list of allegations and even criminal charges he’s facing. Miller pleaded guilty to unlawful trespassing in a burglary case in Vermont after agreeing to serve one-year probation. The actor is also reportedly seeking help for their mental condition, and it’s currently unknown how large of a presence they will have during the promotion of this movie.
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However, if the trailer has told us something is that Warner Bros. cannot and will not market the film around them. They play the title role and have more than one character in the film, as well as the entire dramatic arc, which is the backbone of the story.
Michael Keaton plays a key role in the film, but this is no Batman-Flash film, and Warner Bros. is right not to market it that way. According to reports, too, Miller is also very passionate about the film, and part of the reason why they agreed to seek mental health aid was not to damage the project, which Warner Bros. Discovery even considered shelving at one point last summer.
What happens after The Flash?
This is, quite literally, the billion-dollar question. For now, the Flash is not a major part of Chapter 1 of James Gunn’s DCU, but given Gunn’s love for the DC mythology and his insistence on making justice to the comics, the character’s introduction is a matter of when and not if. When asked during the aforementioned press conference, Gunn wouldn’t shut any doors regarding Miller’s potential return, saying that they would have that conversation with Miller when they were ready to have it.
At one point, The Flash was going to be Warner Bros. Discovery’s way to reset the universe, at least partially, and have Michael Keaton become the main Batman of the established timeline. Keaton was also going to return for the canceled Batgirl film and filmed a scene for the Aquaman sequel, which has reportedly been removed from the latest cut of the film.
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That was all before James Gunn and Peter Safran, and the creation of DC Studios. The duo is planning an interconnected story across various media, including films, television series, and video games. The film could still be used as a setting-off point for the new DCU, which so far is confirmed to be recasting Superman and Batman.
Inside of that slate, Gunn and Safran recently announced a Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film, though they wouldn’t confirm nor deny that Sasha Calle will become their Supergirl moving forward. On the one hand, it would be understandable that they would want to search for their own actress, while on the other hand, this will be the first time the general public meets this character (no offense to the few people that watched the CW series), so recasting the part right away might be upsetting to some. Gunn being such a fan of the film can only help make the case for the latter option.
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A lot of things are happening over in DC and we could be speculating and coming up with wild theories all night. The truth is, though, that the studio is immensely confident in The Flash, which means so should we, personal feelings for the lead actor aside. Does that mean you should put aside those feelings when tickets go on sale? Of course not! But for those of us who will…
The Flash will speed into theaters worldwide on June 16. What did you think of the latest trailer? Are you excited about the film despite all the baggage that comes with it? How pumped are you about seeing Michael Keaton as Batman again? Let us know on our social media, and stay tuned for more news on DC coming soon!
KEEP READING: THE FLASH TEST SCREENINGS BRING EXCITING NEWS FOR FANS
