The Flash movie concluded with the surprise return of an iconic actor, as revealed in a recent report. Ezra Miller's Barry Allen altered the past to prevent his mother's murder, resulting in various changes to the timeline. These changes included Sasha Calle's Supergirl arriving on Earth instead of Henry Cavill's Superman, and Michael Keaton remaining as the Batman of this universe. Despite Barry's attempts to fix his errors, the film concludes with a twist, as George Clooney's Bruce Wayne confronts him, indicating that the timeline has still been affected.
The Hollywood Reporter has recently featured an article detailing the various endings of The Flash. After discarding two previous endings, the creative team, led by new DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, took a chance by attempting to bring back George Clooney, despite their concerns about the likelihood of success. Following a screening for Clooney and his subsequent approval, he was added to the film at the last minute, shooting a scene on the Warner Bros. lot in January alongside Miller. The studio was so enthusiastic about the new ending that they chose not to test it with audiences, even keeping Clooney's cameo a secret during the movie's premiere at CinemaCon, leaving viewers surprised by his appearance.
The Multiple Flash Movie Endings Explained
Just weeks before the movie's release, Warner Bros. made a surprising move by keeping the ending of The Flash a closely guarded secret. This decision sparked numerous speculations about how the film would tie into James Gunn's future plans for the DC Universe. Gunn himself confirmed that The Flash would serve as the launchpad for his ambitious Chapter One: Gods and Monsters project, which includes his upcoming Superman: Legacy film currently undergoing casting tests, as well as the highly anticipated Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The aforementioned report not only confirms that Clooney's appearance is one of three possible endings for the movie, but it also provides additional insight into the original plans for The Flash's finale when it was under the supervision of the previous studio. The first ending, which had set photos leaked during production, featured Supergirl and Keaton's Batman appearing on the courthouse steps, indicating that Barry did not fully reset the timeline as expected. The second ending, although reportedly not filmed, would have included Cavill's Superman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman alongside Supergirl and Keaton's Batman.
Due to the numerous changes at WB and DC, plans for Cavill's future and a standalone Supergirl movie with Calle were scrapped. As a result, Gunn and the rest of the team decided on the current ending for The Flash movie, while still preserving the core concept that Barry has yet to fully fix things. It is worth noting that a sequel has already been written by Aquaman's David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, although its development is dependent on the success of the first Flash film at the box office. It will be intriguing to see if Clooney's highly anticipated return as Batman becomes more than just a nod to the fans and evolves into a significant development for the DCU.
Source: THR