The Flash Filmmakers Received An 'Almost Shocking' Amount Of Support From The Studio
The DC Extended Universe is no stranger to behind-the-scenes chaos; from David Ayer's initial cut of "Suicide Squad" getting slashed to ribbons in post-production to the sheer pandemonium that resulted in two dramatically different iterations of the same "Justice League" movie. Even then, few DCEU titles have gone through a rite of passage quite like "The Flash." Be it numerous writers and directors coming and going over the course of development or the controversies surrounding its lead actor Ezra Miller and their disturbing alleged behavior, whatever multiversal mayhem the "Flashpoint" comic book adaptation has to offer will be hard-pressed to match the real-life disorder that led to its existence.
And yet, in defiance of all that, early signs point to the film being, well, actually pretty good! Heck, the newly-appointed DC Studios co-head James Gunn has gone so far as to declare "The Flash" one of the best superhero movies he's ever seen and seems open to integrating aspects of the movie into his and Peter Safran's new DC Universe (or, if not that, at least willing to humor such notions in the eyes of the public). Warner Bros. even brought a not-yet-finalized cut of "The Flash" to show at CinemaCon well ahead of its scheduled theatrical premiere in June, indicating they, too, are feeling confident about what they've got on their hands here.
/Film writer Jenna Busch was among the members of the press who attended an early showing of "The Flash," complete with a post-screening Q&A with director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti. (The pair are brother and sister, for those who were unaware.) Naturally, the pair spoke about their experiences making the film, claiming that unlike DCEU productions past, WB was quite accommodating to what they wanted to do for the Scarlet Speedster's solo (okay, "solo") outing.
Money makes the Flash go round
Admittedly, Warner Bros. has valid reason for trusting Andy and Barbara Muschietti after they successfully shepherded the studio's highly-lucrative "It" movies. All the same, it's one thing to oversee a two-part adaptation of an incredibly popular Stephen King novel that costs half of your average tentpole; it's another to helm a troubled superhero movie with a budget climbing upwards of $200 million. (And that's a conservative estimate!) Not to mention, the Muschiettis had yet to tackle any project of that scale prior to "The Flash."
"Well, you know, it's fascinating that your biggest gift is also your biggest problem, which is money," said Barbara Muschietti, speaking during the film's post-screening Q&A. "You get more money and that's great. You get more money and that's terrible, too," she added, laughing. Still, she insisted she and her brother were taken aback at just how hands-off WB was:
"But I have to say, and this is real, we had so much support from the studio to do the movie that Andy wanted to do. It was almost shocking, the support and trust that they put in us and a movie of this size, and I think that shows because we got to do something really personal."
No doubt, WB was keen to avoid more negative headlines concerning the DCEU, which surely abetted the Muschiettis' cause — although Ezra Miller's off-screen misconduct has completely unraveled the studio's efforts at dodging further controversy. As for the movie's hefty cost, it certainly seems necessary, given the scope of its multiverse-shattering story. One can glean as much from the film's trailers, which allude to sub-plots about Kryptonian invasions and Michael Keaton's Batman in a narrative that's (in theory) about Barry Allen's inner demons.
"The Flash" hits theaters on June 16, 2023.