While The Flash is a runaway hit on television, Warner Bros. isn’t content to let the character dominate the CW. As part of the growing DC Cinematic Universe, Warner Bros. has been trying to actively develop The Flash for the movies. Rumors started to surface, starting with Jeff Sneider of The Wrap on the Meet the Movie Press Podcast, that Warner Bros. was trying to round up Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the minds behind The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street, to take on the classic DC character. Well, it is now being reported that Lord and Miller are working on an adaptation of The Flash, which already has a release date slated for March 23rd, 2018, though the duo is not attached to direct.
Up until this point, I’ve had nothing but skepticism as to WB and DC’s plans for a cinematic universe. It all comes across as a reaction to Marvel’s success, like they’re afraid to carve out their own path. Even more confusing, is how they’ll be able to reconcile the differences between the television and cinematic incarnations of The Flash. At least with Lord and Miller onboard, there’s at least a hope that the duo can find the bridge between the two.
There’s still no reason to get too excited. Lord and Miller are in high demand and their names have come up for a possible Ghostbusters film. More importantly, The Flash isn’t slated to come out until 2018, and all it takes is one massive flop from the DC Universe to derail the plans at WB. While expectations are high for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we have over a year to find out if that film is able to establish the foundation of this burgeoning universe.
