The Flash: Every Release Date The Movie's Had And Why It's Been ...

The Flash is one of the most iconic DC superheroes in existence. There have been multiple characters who have taken on the mantle of the Scarlet Speedster in the comics, and the character is synonymous in pop culture with the concept of super speed. With an easily recognizable character and with the popularity of superhero movies at its peak, it would seem like making The Flash movie would be incredibly easy, especially when Ezra Miller was first cast in 2014.

Yet despite the character being the fastest man alive, the road to the big screen has been a difficult one for The Flash. While the character appeared in Justice League, his solo film has seen multiple starts and stops over the years in the film's production cycle, with a popular TV version of The Flash airing on The CW through premiere and concluding before the film even came out. Despite a sluggish journey to the screen, The Flash finally released on June 16, 2023, to mixed reviews and a less-than-stellar showing, bringing in only $55 million domestically on opening weekend and losing audiences quicker than anyone expected.

Update July 2, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of The Flash and recent updates about the future of the DCU.

How many times was the movie delayed? What were the causes for the various production hiccups? How many creative voices have been attached to the movie before the landing on the final team? These are all the release dates The Flash has had and why they changed.

The Flash - March 23, 2018

DC Comics

While attempts to make a movie based on The Flash had been around since the 1990s, it was not until the DCEU launched with Man of Steel that the production started to gain traction. In October 2014, Warner Bros. announced a massive slate of films from Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, two Justice League films, Shazam, Cyborg, and of course, The Flash. It was here that star Ezra Miller was announced as playing the speedster superhero, alongside the first official release date was announced for March 23, 2018. Interestingly, the announcement of the movie arrived just one week before The Flash TV series on The CW would air, with many wondering if the film's announcement and eventual release would overshadow the television series.

Related: The Flash: Should DC Recast Ezra Miller and Move Forward?

In 2015, The Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote a pitch for The Flash, and while they considered directing it eventually decided to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story (the duo would eventually depart that movie in the middle of filming). In October 2015, Seth Grahame-Smith, who had written the popular books Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and also wrote the script for the Warner Bros. Dark Shadows film, signed on for The Flash in what would be his directorial debut.

The Flash - March 16, 2018

Warner Bros. Pictures

Two years after The Flash was announced, Warner Bros. moved up the release by a week to March 16, 2018. By this point though, Seth Grahame-Smith had departed the project, citing creative differences. In June 2016, Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) signed on to direct, and it was during his time with the film that Kiersey Clemons was cast as Iris West and Billy Crudup as Barry Allen's father Henry Allen. Both actors would film cameos in Justice League setting up the planned Flash movie. However, Clemons's role was cut from the theatrical release but restored in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

After working on the film for five months, even making an appearance at DC's 2016 Comic-Con presentation, Famuyiwa would drop out of directing, citing creative differences with the studio. With the director's departure, the negative reaction to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad that year, the fact that star Ezra Miller was about to begin filming Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and that they would not be able to find a director to meet their original release date, Warner Bros. opted for a page one rewrite of the script.

They hired Joby Harold, who wrote the script for the then-upcoming King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, for the studio. Warner Bros. gave the March 16, 2018, date to the Tomb Raider reboot. It was from this point on that The Flash was officially taken off the schedule and would remain in development and would not finalize a release date for three years.

The Flash - July 1, 2022

Warner Bros. Pictures

In 2017, Warner Bros. began looking at a number of different directors, including Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future), Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Jordan Peele (Get Out). It was at this point the film would be developed as a Flashpoint movie, based on the popular 2011 comic series that saw Barry Allen rewrite the entire timeline and eventually lead to a reboot of the DC Comics universe with The New 52. This indicated that the film would be Warner Brothers' attempt to reboot the DCEU.

In 2018, filmmaking duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein signed on to direct The Flash hot off the heels of their hit comedy Game Night. While the original plan was to film in 2019, filming was delayed due to Miller's commitments to Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore (which itself saw a delay in production). Miller clashed with the directing duo on the film's tone, as Miller wanted a more dark and serious take on the character while Daley and Goldstein favored a more comedic approach.

Miller teamed up with Grant Morrison, the legendary comic book writer, to create a pitch for Warner Bros. The studio rejected the pitch, and while it was originally offered that if Warner Bros. rejected the pitch Miller could depart the film, the studio asked them to stay on the project. Shortly after, Daley and Goldstein left the film in July 2018 following even more creative differences. Following this shakeup, Christina Hodgson, who had written the script for Birds of Prey at Warner Bros., was attached to work on the script.

In July 2019, Andy Muschietti signed on to direct the film, becoming the fourth official director on the project. Muschietti's It Chapter One had been a box office hit for Warner Bros. and It Chapter Two was a couple of months away, so the choice seemed like a perfect fit. Shortly after Muschietti signed onto the film, Warner Bros. set a July 1, 2022 release date. This was the first date The Flash had on the Warner Bros. schedule in three years and would be the first DC superhero movie to aim for the 4th of July weekend since Superman Returns in 2006.

The Flash - June 3, 2022

Warner Bros. Pictures

After a series of creative delays, The Flash finally seemed to be moving along as more casting announcements were made. However, this time the next wave of delays would come about due to COVID-19. In April 2020, just one month into the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in many countries, Warner Bros. announced a slew of changes to their schedule with one of them being The Flash, yet instead of pushing the film back, Warner Bros. instead bumped the film up from July 1, 2022, to June 3, 2022. No reason was given for the change.

It was at this point that Ray Fisher, who played the role of Cyborg in Justice League, was cut out of the film by Warner Bros. due to Fisher speaking out about the company's attempt to cover up the investigation into Joss Whedon's abusive behavior on the re-shoots of Justice League, with Fisher claiming he would not work for Warner Bros. as long as Walter Hamada stayed in charge of DC films.

Warner Bros. eventually delayed The Flash again from June 3, 2022, to November 4, 2022. This release date change caused a massive domino effect on several films. The November 4, 2022 release date was originally saved for Shazam! Fury of the Gods which was then moved back to June 2023 and eventually December 2022. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. gave the June 3, 2022, release date to Elvis, which they would then delay in order to occupy the June 24, 2022, release date left by Transformers: Rises of the Beasts' delay.

The Flash - November 4, 2022

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. moved The Flash to November 4, 2022, due to more pandemic delays, as The Batman was moved from October 2021 to March 2022, causing a domino effect on many of the DC films. Warner Bros. held The Flash on November 4, 2022, for a long time, even when the film was facing competition from both the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels the following week, which eventually was delayed only to be replaced on the schedule by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The date would not last, though, as in March 2022, shortly after The Batman had opened in theaters. Warner Bros. announced a series of delays to their various DC films. DC's League of Super-Pets moved to Black Adam's original June 29, 2022 release date which then put Black Adam on October 21, 2022, just two weeks before The Flash's planned release date. Warner Bros. then moved The Flash back to June 23, 2023. The reason cited for the delays on Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was because of a build-up in VFX work on all the films due to a shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Flash reportedly had 2,500 visual effects shot and the studio needed more time to work on it.

The Flash-June 23, 2023

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. had dated The Flash for June 23, 2023. The release date would have had it coincided with the 34th anniversary of Tim Burton's Batman, which opened in theaters on June 23, 1989. While it was going going to be competing in a crowded summer movie season, Warner Bros. seemed confident in the film. So much so that they decided to change the release date one more time, but this time instead of delaying it, they moved the film up. Warner Bros. instead decided to release The Flash on June 16, 2023.

Related: Is The Flash a Complete Box Office Disaster?

The decision seemed to be motivated by early positive word of mouth that the movie received in test screenings. Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav and new DC Studios co-president James Gunn seemed confident in the movie as they called it one of the best superhero movies of all time. A June 16, 2023 release date put it before the Father's Day and Juneteenth three-day weekend and put it head to head with the Pixar film Elemental. All signs suggested this was the right call. Alas, history proved different.

The Flash - June 16, 2023

Warner Bros. Pictures

After so many false starts and delays, The Flash finally opened on June 16, 2023. The box office showing was lackluster, opening domestically at only $55.1 million. It's unclear whether the poor showing was due to the film's lead star finding themselves in a number of headlines regarding domestic violence and possible kidnapping. Warner Bros. chose not to recast Miller, a move that might have contributed to the movie's overall performance.

A lot of elements were there for success. Michael Keaton, and a full slate of cameos, brought nostalgia to the emotion-heavy storyline. DC diehards finally saw a modern version of Supergirl on the screen in newcomer Sasha Calle. However, the film—which had a reported budget of $200 million—saw its box office drop by 73% in its second weekend, the lowest drop for any film in DC's history. That's a signal that poor reviews and disappointed audiences also impacted the superhero flick.

For DC fans, the final release has been bittersweet. The Flash opened just a month after the final season of The Flash concluded on The CW. It also arrived a week after the ten-year anniversary of the release of Man of Steel and the birth of the DCEU. With James Gunn and Peter Safran now overseeing a new DC Films, it's unlikely audiences will ever see this version of The Flash again—particularly played by Miller. A report from The Wrap revealed that while Gunn and The Flash director Andy Muschietti support Miller in the role for a possible sequel, Warner Bros. will only greenlight such a project if the box office results justify it—and so far, they haven't, and likely won't.