The Flash sped into CinemaCon, with Warner Bros. screening the DC film for theater owners nearly two months ahead of its June 16 release.
The Flash has been the talk of the convention, and earlier in the day, Warners made the film the closer of its presentation, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav saying of the feature: “It’s the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen.” (The executive has watched it three times.)
Peter Safran, co-head of DC Studios, praised star Ezra Miller ahead of the screening, as did director Andy Muschietti, who said, “I discovered they are an incredible comedian and also [handled] all the action required for a big spectacle like this. They wanted to do all the stunts, and I let them.”
Miller stars in dual roles as different versions of Barry Allen, with Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck playing different versions of Batman. Sashe Calle stars as Supergirl, while Michael Shannon reprises his role of General Zod from the 2013 feature Man of Steel.
The film comes after a tumultuous 2022 for Miller, who was arrested multiple times last year and was the subject to controversies, culminating in the actor issuing a statement Aug. 15 apologizing for their behavior and saying they would receive help for “complex mental health issues.”
In January, Safran told reporters of the possibility of the actor reprising the role in the future: “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery. We are fully supportive of that journey they are on right now. When the time is right, when they are ready to have that discussion, we will all figure out what’s the best path forward.”
Observers on the ground at CinemaCon note that Warners knows it has a winner on its hands with The Flash, and by screening the film early, it hopes to turn the focus away from Miller’s past and towards the film itself.
Read on for first reactions from The Flash.