Details Emerge for DCEU's Abandoned 'Flash' Film

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) was a problematic compendium of movies littered with squandered possibilities. It became a clear and infamous example of studio interference. While many critics and viewers may not have agreed with Zack Snyder’s vision post-Man of Steel, it still was a vision that needed to be seen through to the end or changed more gracefully.

While Snyder eventually achieved his spectacle with his four-hour version of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, many other connective projects were also stopped in their tracks. A former DCEU storyboard artist is now revealing the original plan for Ezra Miller’s The Flash, pre-COVID and pre-Ezra criminal activity.

Tenured DC storyboard artist and director of the animated feature, Flashpoint Paradox, Jay Oliva, discussed the studios initial plans for the Scarlet Speedster. He stated that he was crucial to those guys [DCEU producers] about how Flash was going to evolve within the DCEU. The studio wanted an entire Flash trilogy leading up to the Flashpoint crossover, along with the reveal of a major Flash villain manipulating Barry Allen throughout his hero’s journey.

Oliva was exclusively the brainchild for Flash lore as he first directed Flashpoint Paradox, then was the storyboard artist for the first four seasons of The CW’s The Flash TV series. His knowledge of the character and involvement with his cinematic portrayal prompted Warner Bros. to make him one of their main consultants for the live-action adaptation.

He expressed that he worked directly with Rick Famuyima, who was the primary director in 2016. Oliva elaborated that Rick was not going to do a Flashpoint-Multiverse storyline initially. His trilogy was going to be more like Aquaman, where they would be standalone films that would give subtle setups to the next conflict. The Flash movies would have been instrumental to the DCEU as they would have introduced the iconic DC baddie — Eobard Thawne, also known as Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom.

According to Oliva, “Rick’s movie was laying the groundwork for Zoom as the big baddy of the entire DC Universe.” He would be pulling the strings because he had come from the future to subjugate his nemesis, Barry. This revelation would come to a head in the eventual Flashpoint movie, which would have ended Snyder’s Man of Steel era.

Rick’s Flashpoint would then reboot the DCEU and open the door for Darkseid to become the main overarching antagonist. This saga would then culminate to a Justice League Unlimited-style team-up movie. Oliva concluded that being part of that experience was exciting, but having this missed opportunities slip way was disheartening. While this disclosure may be gut-wrenching for DC fans who wanted to see this come to fruition, they can still watch Oliva’s Flashpoint Paradox to experience this legendary storyline.

What do you think of DCEU’s original take on The Flash? Could it still happen one day?