'The Flash' Filmed Three Separate Endings Under Different WB Regimes, And Squandered The Ultimate Golden Opportunity
You can find the modified hyperlink to this story in the tweet above. I will not link out to the actual full URL because there is a monster spoiler in it. With The Flash only hitting theaters everywhere on Friday, I think it's a prudent thing to avoid major spoilers at least for the first chunk of this blog before I issue a sensible warning.
OK so...how to do this. Because I don't want to drop the major bomb of what actually happens at the very end of The Flash right out of the gates.
Let's just explore the premise that this movie had three separate endings. A true sign of the times at Warner Bros. [Discovery], and while I understand why this happened, it's a microcosm of how much of a mess the DC superhero properties have been for many years. I think anyone at the company now or then would admit to that. Not breaking news.
But how apropos is it for a multiverse, time-traveling, rollicking adventure to have had three different endings committed to film!? There's something beautifully poetic about it all. And yes, chaotic, nonsensical and quixotic. The Flash was one of the most troubled productions of all-time before Barry Allen star Ezra Miller's string of off-set incidents sent the PR machine into overdrive. It can't be emphasized enough how much trouble WB had bringing the Flash to the big screen.
That director Andy Muschietti salvaged a competent movie out of all this is a minor miracle. Not to mention the challenges of shooting Miller's dual roles as two different Flashes from two different timelines.
OK. I think we're far enough in to where we can start spoiling things.
****SPOILER WARNING FOR THE FLASH****
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Hey look, bringing in a canon DC movie actor without even thinking about it! Jim Carrey's Riddler in Batman Forever was certainly a unique take on the character.
OK so The Flash. Damn man. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the first ending of the film featured Barry, Sasha Calle's kick-ass Supergirl and Michael Keaton's Batman outside the courthouse. Once Barry has raced back into his current timeline, the deaths of Supergirl and Keats' Bats are null and void. They're alive and well. This was a clean way for Keaton to replace Ben Affleck as the main mentor Batman to oversee the next slate of DC projects. Remember, Keaton was in Batgirl until WBD shelved that shit.
The second ending was similar. Barry comes out of the courthouse after getting his dad acquitted for the murder of his mom. There he sees Calle, Keaton, AND Henry Cavill's Superman alongside Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman!! WHATTTT. Cavill hadn't been unceremoniously ousted from Supes at that point, and Gadot already made a cameo in the opening action sequence. This ending was obviously before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-chiefs of DC Studios, as Cavill had already locked down a post-credits slot to conclude Dwayne Johnson's starring vehicle Black Adam.
…Once Gunn came aboard, he decided to go in a different, younger direction with Superman. No more Henry Cavill. That led to the third and final ending that we actually got wherein Barry returns to what he thinks is his original timeline. Expecting to see Ben Affleck get out of a fancy car to greet him in the aftermath of his father's long-awaited acquittal, instead it is none other than…
Some people haaaaaaaaaated this. I thought it was amazing. My whole theater just burst out laughing but not in a mocking way. In like an endearing, wholesome way. Like, GOOD FOR GEORGE CLOONEY. Poor man was in that dumpster fire Batman & Robin, which we should be thanking him for since it set the stage for Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
Here's more from THR on how Clooney's stunning cameo came together:
"The filmmakers, according to multiple people associated with the movie, then looked for alternatives but wanted to keep the germ of the idea: Barry Allen thinks all is right, but then has the rug pulled out at the last moment. They also went back to an idea joked about earlier in the filmmaking process: 'How many Batmen can we get?' Clooney was brought up as a long-shot, but Gunn and Safran jumped on the notion.
"The duo reached out to Clooney’s agent at CAA, Bryan Lourd, showing him a cut of the mostly finished film. He liked it and then showed it to Clooney. Clooney liked it and agreed to be a part of it.
"A shoot was quickly assembled and on a January morning on the Warners lot, Clooney was there as Wayne, back for the first time in 26 years. Also on set was Miller, making their first appearance on the lot since the fateful day in August where they met with De Luca and Abdy to discuss their controversial behavior (including multiple arrests) and steps forward.
"Miller was in top form that day, sources say, for what was described as a quick and efficient shoot. Clooney and Miller spent some time together in between takes with the veteran actor having a talk with the younger actor, giving encouraging advice about handling being in the public eye and behaving in public."
Clooney is the perfect exit strategy for Gunn and the new DC regime to bid adieu to the SnyderVerse and, hell, even make a clean break from Ezra Miller as Flash. They can mix and match however they choose.
OK so what exactly is the missed opportunity I'm making hay about in the headline (kind of facetiously but nevertheless)??
Hint: CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Funny enough I just watched it again last weekend and I swear it gets better every time. So much subtle, dry humor in addition to the obvious slapstick. Some really old-school rapid-fire dialogue with one exchange in particular that'd make Abbott and Costello proud.
If you've seen Clue, you know there are three separate endings to the movie. When it came out in theaters, one of the endings was chosen at random depending where you went. That gimmick didn't lead to box office success, but Clue is one of those cult classics that found a huge audience.
Once Clue hit home media, all three endings were shown back-to-back, capped by the one "true" ending. You can stream it now on Amazon Prime Video to fully see what I mean.
Unfortunately (I assume it's a copyright issue), all three endings of Clue in sequence aren't available for public consumption on YouTube. I'm reduced to describing them here. After the first ending, we get silent film-era title cards with the caption saying, "That's how it could have happened. But how about this?" Then you see the second ending, followed by another title card insert that reads, "But here's what really happened."
Given how much of a spaghetti-splattered mess (IYKYK) the DC movies are at this point, what on EARTH were the creatives behind The Flash thinking by not doing this!?!?
Can you imagine? We get the expected wrap-up resolution with Barry, Kara Zor-El and Keaton's Bruce Wayne as the initial ending. Cut in with the Clue-esque:
"That's how it could have happened. But how about this?"
…Straight into Barry walking out, greeted by Kara, Keats, Cavill and Gadot. What'd be even more hilarious? If Cavill's Supes and Gadot's Wonder Woman broke bad — a nod to the SnyderVerse's Injustice-esque storyline for Superman and an allusion to the OG Flashpoint for the Princess of Themyscira — and just started eviscerating everyone in their path before an abrupt blackout. A la Homelander in The Boys.
Anyway, that'd be followed by:
"But here's what really happened."
And THEN, of all people who they decide to land on as Bruce Wayne for the actual, definitive ending to The Flash, it's GEORGE FREAKING CLOONEY.
Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. I'm devastated that this didn't happen. Crestfallen. What a perfect opportunity for Warner Bros. to take the piss out of themselves, acknowledge how much they've misstepped with their most profitable IP, and wink at the audience to ensure them they'll get it right with Gunn's new master plan. You can do anything since it's the multiverse, right!? And aren't you gonna basically reboot everything anyway? DAMN.
Oh well. Still decently pleased with the Flash flick we got after all these years. I think it's catching a lot of undue shit but oh well. The Flash isn't tracking well at the box office. With this Clue-esque conclusion, they would've brought down the house and made money hand over fist. Stick the landing at the end like this, and I'm sure some people would revile it even more. But I know you know, reader, that this would've been one of the coolest twists in superhero movie history.