'The Flash' movie trailer reveals Michael Keaton's Batman return (original) (raw)
After a lengthy gestation period while DC Studios got its new film slate together, The Flash movie is officially racing full tilt toward theaters. But can it leave the controversies surrounding its star in the dust?
The massive pop culture pedestal that is Super Bowl Sunday gave us the very first trailer, more than a year after the DC FanDome event offered up the first teaser footage.
The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, is said to be inspired by the Flashpoint comic book event of 2011, which saw the Scarlet Speedster moving so fast that he changed the timeline, thereby creating an alternate reality.
Michael Keaton, who played Batman in the Tim Burton era, returns to the role. Ben Affleck, too, is reprising his own iteration of the Caped Crusader, which points to all the multiversal hijinks that will ensue. Sasha Calle also stars as Supergirl, who gets a costume reveal as she flies alongside the Batwing.
Michael Keaton as Batman in 'The Flash'. Warner Bros. Pictures
Miller's Barry wants to use his powers to change the timeline to save his mom, who was killed years earlier, but doing so changes things for the worse. "I completely broke the universe," Barry exclaims.
The trailer includes footage from 2013's Man of Steel, the Superman movie starring Henry Cavill. "I created a world with no meta-humans and now there's no one to defend us," Barry says, as General Zod's forces invade earth.
Then comes a voice. "Want some help?" Keaton's Bruce Wayne makes his triumphant return to the screen to help multiple Barrys save the time-stream. And, yes, he brings back his gif-able catchphrase: "I'm Batman!"
The film's official plot description that reads, "Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"
James Gunn, who now heads DC Studios with his Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran, described The Flash as "a fantastic movie" that he really loves. The new era of DC movies will begin with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, starring Zachary Levi. It will hit theaters on March 17 and lead into the events of The Flash, which Gunn says "resets the entire DC universe."
Ezra Miller's Barry Allen in 'The Flash'. DC FanDome/Youtube
In the last two years, Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, has faced multiple arrests in Hawaii for various forms of disorderly conduct and harassment. They recently pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of unlawful trespass in a burglary case in Vermont. Miller has been the subject of multiple other infractions, including a temporary order of protection and a separate harassment order filed against them.
"Ezra is completely committed to their recovery, and we are fully supportive of that journey that they're on right now," Safran said during a DC presentation with press at the end of January.
"When the time is right, when they feel like they're ready to have the discussion, we'll all figure out what the best path forward is," Safran added. "But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversations with them over the last couple of months, it feels like they're making enormous progress."
The Flash opens in theaters June 16.
Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.
Related content: