Ezra Miller’s The Flash movie may have run into another hurdle because of one of the actor’s other franchises: Fantastic Beasts. Since Miller landed the role of Barry Allen aka Flash in 2014, his career has essentially been tied with Warner Bros. His involvement with the studio expanded outside the DC realm by also joining the world of Harry Potter through the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Miller has starred in the prequel series as Credence, a mysterious man whose role expanded in the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

It was in the second chapter where fans discovered Credence’s larger place in the Harry Potter universe. With the introduction of a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), the sequel revealed that Credence is actually Aurelius, Albus’ long-lost brother. Following the events of the second film, Aurelius will certainly play an even bigger role in Fantastic Beasts 3. And while Miller has been busy with the spinoff franchise, the actor has also taken part in Warner Bros’ ongoing DC universe as the fastest man alive. Following two cameos in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, Miller’s Flash got a bigger part in 2017’s Justice League. However, the problem is that, since October 2014, a Flash movie has been in the works but keeps running into delays. And it appears that might be the case again.

Fantastic Beasts 3 starts filming in spring 2020, with Miller reprising his role as Aurelius/Credence. Unfortunately, this might result in The Flash movie falling behind once again. The Flash movie was reportedly eyeing a potential filming start for fall 2019, with an aim for a 2021 release date. Of course, things got pushed back when a new script was made and a new director came on board. But with the news of Fantastic Beasts 3 filming in the spring, it would be nearly impossible for The Flash to get going before late 2020. So a 2021 release date is certainly out of the question, which means a 2022 release is more likely. Despite The Flash having signed Andy Muschietti signed on to direct, it’s Miller’s filming schedule that becomes the problem.

There are some positive takeaways for The Flash’s potential delay. The studio could, in theory, use 2020 to work out the missing key parts of the DC movie. With Christina Hodson currently re-writing the script, the studio and Muschietti could begin casting other characters for the film. It remains unknown if Billy Crudup will be back as Henry Allen from Justice League. Kiersey Clemons, who was cast as Iris West, was originally going to appear in Justice League before having her scenes cut. Until they say otherwise, Clemmons’ Iris is most likely still on board to appear in The Flash.

Despite The Flash having been stuck in development hell, WB still seems determined to get Miller his own film. With The CW having continued success with Grant Gustin’s The Flash, it’s hard to picture the feature division not wanting to have the fastest man alive on the big screen. Only time will tell if WB is still planning on doing more Fantastic Beasts films after the third one given their original plans for five installments. But until Miller is at least done with the third chapter, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see him back in The Flash movie.

Next: Justice League’s Snyder Cut Has Won Over DCEU Critics

  • Fantastic Beasts 3 Release Date: 2022-04-15