With Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ theatrical run over and now being available to stream with a Max subscription, the next upcoming DC movie on the docket is The Flash, which puts Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen on center stage following his appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, both versions of Justice League, the Peacemaker Season 1 finale and even The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. However, its release also comes after years of Miller being embroiled in numerous controversies, so if The Flash 2 ends up happening, would they return? Director Andy Muschietti has provided that answer.
We know that The Flash is one of the final movies of the DC Extended Universe era to come out before the new DC Universe spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran launches, so there’s no guarantee at the moment that a Flash sequel will be greenlit. Should it move forward though, Muschietti said on an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s Discourse podcast that Miller will be sticking around as the Scarlet Speedster. In his words:
If [a sequel] happens, yes. I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did. The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it. And, as you said, the two Barrys – it feels like a character that was made for them.
On August 15, 2022, Ezra Miller issued a public apology for their behavior over the last few years, which included being charged with felony burglary in Vermont (Miller later pleaded guilty to the charge), allegedly choking a woman at a bar in Iceland and being arrested multiple times in Hawaii. Miller acknowledged that they are “suffering complex mental health issues” and had “begun ongoing treatment.” The actor has kept a relatively low profile since then, but given how much controversy has surrounded them, plus the big DC Universe changes coming, there’s been talk about if someone new might take over as Barry Allen following The Flash’s release. According to Andy Muschietti, that’s not on the table; he’s so impressed with how Miller played not one, but two versions of Barry Allen, that he wants them to keep that run (pun fully intended) going.
Producer Barbara Muschietti echoed her brother’s thoughts on the matter, saying that she too was impressed by the performance Ezra Miller turned in for The Flash. As she put it:
In principal photography, Ezra was brilliant and the most committed and the most professional [actor]. Ezra gave everything for this role – physically, creatively, emotionally. They were absolutely supreme.
The Flash opened to critical acclaim at CinemaCon in late April, with Ezra Miller’s performance among the most praised aspects of the movie. There was also a video released recently of various average moviegoers sharing their positive thoughts on The Flash, and Stephen King even complimented it, so while we’ll have to wait and see how the movie ends up doing commercially, critically at least, it’s on solid ground. Still, with characters like Superman and Batman being recast for the DC Universe, one can’t be faulted for wondering if the same will happen with Flash, but as long as the Muschiettis are involved, that won’t happen. Having said that, the DCU Chapter One slate, titled Gods and Monsters, is pretty packed at the moment, so even if The Flash 2 does end up happening, it could be a long time before it makes its way to the big screen.
The general public can judge The Flash for itself when it hits the big screen on June 16. Be careful of spoilers in these final weeks though, because along with fans thinking they spotted something a big plot twist in an international trailer, Andy Muschietti revealed a major cameo that would have made a great surprise for people seated in the theater.
