Credit: DC/Warner Bros.The Flash (2023) won’t be the same…
With a new DC Universe being put forth by James Gunn and Peter Safran, many fans thought that would be the perfect opportunity to reboot The Flash franchise, removing problematic and controversial star Ezra Miller and starting fresh. This has not been the case. In fact, DC Studios has doubled down on the new film and hit promotion hard, spending millions of dollars for a Superbowl ad and really going all in on the solo film, which has been rumored to kick off the new DC Universe.
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This, coupled with the return of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, has prompted many fans to think that these two reasons are the driving force behind DC Studios’ continuing with the film. That being said, the subject matter and plot of the film don’t necessarily cement Ezra Miller as being the only Barry Allen/Flash. In fact, already in trailers and promotional material, fans have seen multiple iterations of the character, all played by Miller.
Many DC fans were hoping that given DC delving into their own Multiverse, this new movie might give the studio a plausible way to reboot the character. Even more, fans were hoping that DC Studios might install an already established and popular iteration of the character and replace Ezra Miller in the future of the DC Universe with Arrowverse alumni Grant Gustin. Signs even seemed to be pointing that way, with Gustin’s popular Flash series ending after nine seasons.
Though this seemed a viable solution, Gustin himself has now put those rumors to rest. In a recent interview reported by The Direct, Gustin made it clear that not only will he not be replacing Miller in the DC Universe, but that he also has no part in the upcoming film. The actor was even pressed and asked if he was, in fact, just keeping an “elaborate secret” about being a part of the film, but, unfortunately, this was not the case:
“No. (Laughs) No, there’s been a lot of rumors out there for a long time. And no one’s come out directly and asked me ever, you know, on the record. And the entire time, people ask me on the street all the time, and yeah, I’m not keeping some big elaborate secret, no.”
Despite not being involved, Gustin expressed no animosity toward the studio or the upcoming film. On the contrary, the actor expressed that he’s excited to see the new film as a “Flash Fan” and emphasized how interested he is to not only see Keaton retake the cowl but also to see what direction they take the character in the future.
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The Flash comes to theaters on June 16, 2023, and stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, Michael Shannon as General Zod, with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The movie is expected to follow Allen (Miller) as he travels through time to stop the murder of his mother, thereby trapping him in an alternate universe without metahumans.
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