Warner Bros. have been attempting to get a standalone DC Universe film centered around The Flash (Ezra Miller) for several years, but again and again, things just won't go their way. Seth Grahame-Smith (ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER) was originally on-board to write and direct the film back in 2015, but he soon exited the project and was replaced by Rick Famuyiwa (DOPE), who also wound up leaving after disagreeing with the studio in regards to where to take the story. After courting a variety of directors, Warner Bros. finally picked John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING) to helm the film, and although they're still attached to the project, Variety has reported that we'll have to wait just a little longer as Warner Bros. has pushed the film back.
According to the outlet, production on The Flash was expected to get underway in March, but the script is still in the process of being tweaked and Warner Bros. didn't think that there was going to be enough time to get it into shape. It seems that production is now slated to begin in late 2019, which may seem like an excessive amount of time to fine-tune a script, but the problem has to do with Ezra Miller's schedule. The actor is slated to begin shooting the third film in the FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM franchise in July, which would likely cause issues with THE FLASH if they kept their original start date. It's now expected that THE FLASH won't hit theaters until 2021.
Earlier this year, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein spoke about what it was that drew them to the project in the first place. "Just the fact that the character is unique from other superheroes in that he doesn’t completely have his shit together like Superman does. It’s more of a ground-level superhero," Daley said, with Goldstein adding that "It’s a relatable way in to a superhero movie in some of the same ways that Peter Parker was for the Marvel side of things."
Although THE FLASH may still be a ways off, there are still a few DC flicks in our future, including AQUAMAN on December 21, 2018, SHAZAM! on April 5, 2019, and WONDER WOMAN 1984 on November 1, 2019.