the flash Tagged Articles at Cinematical

While Warner Bros. readies a few new DC comic adaptations, including The Green Lantern and maybe Wonder Woman, word is still out on whether we'll ever see The Flash get his own movie, too. I've never been a big fan of Mr. Flash and his skin-tight red and gold suit. Yeah, so you run fast -- what else you got for me? Perhaps that's why it's taking so long for Hollywood to dump a Flash movie into theaters, and maybe it's also why the proposed Flash video game was shelved. Whatever the reasons for delays and cancellations are, it looks like we may one day get our big-screen film featuring some hot up-and-coming actor running all over the damn place.

IGN ran a quote earlier this week from Charles Roven, who was involved as a producer with The Flash movie at one point. He claimed Warner Bros. didn't feel comfortable with the version they had -- that they wanted to take into "account the entire, rich DC character world" (which I read as: we want to do what Marvel is doing) -- and so that incarnation was thrown to the curb for the time being.

The next day, however, IGN received an email from the film's current screenwriter, Dan Mazeau, who assured the site that the Flash movie was still alive and well. He says, "The Flash has not been hobbled. Everything is moving forward as planned. I'm still writing the script. Geoff Johns is still consulting. Flash fans have no cause for concern, and -- IMO -- lots to be excited about." So there you go ... the wheels are turning (though maybe not as fast as The Flash would like them to turn).

Check out the rest -- including concept footage from the canceled Flash video game -- over at SciFi Squad

Remember earlier this year when I pondered just what the heck was taking so long when it came to DC's big screen adaptations? Well, all we had to do was give them a few months, and they started kicking ass and taking names. The Hollywood Reporter has a big piece all about how DC and Warner Bros have united in a creative partnership that rivals the continuity-happy gang at Marvel Entertainment, and it's a relationship that is hoping to yield some wonderful surprises.

In a show of just how serious they are, Warner Bros quietly brought on comic supermen Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Marv Wolfman to act as creative consultants for their major properties such as The Flash, Teen Titans, and anything else the studio might throw at them. Even now, Wolfman and Morrison are working on super secret productions the likes of which fans can only dream about.

Wait, what was that -- The Flash? Yep, Johns is in the producer chair on the project, and worked up a new treatment for the character. Dan Mazeau is currently writing the script, and the hunt for a director is in the works. There's no Wonder Woman, Superman, or Justice League in the works, but you will be getting Bizarro Superman, which is being penned by David Howard and Robert Gordon. Also in the works is a sequel to Constantine, a solo Green Arrow movie, the Green Arrow prison lark, Supermax, and still-alive Shazam. Plus, if you've got pitches for Adam Strange or Aquaman, the studio would very much like to hear them!

Hey, guess what? Another Justice League cast member has been unofficially announced! The Los Angeles Times reports that Adam Brody has signed on to play The Flash, and though he's been rumored as having snagged the role for awhile, the LA Times claims he has closed negotiations and the deal is done. Why hasn't it hit the trades yet? Why isn't Warner Bros. saying anything? Well, according to the Times, Warners won't release the cast because the film hasn't received a green light yet. I'm speculating here, but if it hasn't gotten that green light, then that most likely means something is wrong with the script. Maybe not wrong, but the script needs more work before the project can move forward. And since the writers are still out on strike, that script work won't happen until a deal is reached.

The Times also lists a bunch more names, but those are clearly coming from other sites that broke all this casting news weeks ago. They also claim Megan Gale beat out Jessica Biel for Wonder Woman, however, we all thought Biel opted out of the role herself. Other names mentioned in the article include Scott Porter as Superman, Teresa Palmer as Talia al Ghul and Common as Green Lantern. There's no mention of Armie Hammer as Batman (hey, at least it's better than getting someone from MTV's The Hills), which IESB confirmed was official sometime last week. Brody is best known for his role on The O.C.

Although the Justice League of America film still doesn't have a firm cast, it looks like we have a director for the first official JLA spin-off. MTV Movies Blog reports that they've spoken with David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), and he's confirmed to them that he's taken over directing reigns on The Flash. Not only that, but he also says his version of The Flash will exist in the JLA universe, the same as the upcoming live-action film. The film has already gone through two different directors; first it was David Goyer, and then it was Shawn Levy (who was going to use elements of Goyer's script). Now it's Dobkin ... who's never directed a comic book film before. But neither had Christopher Nolan when he did Batman Begins, or Bryan Singer when he did X-Men, or George Miller, who's directing Justice League -- so, really, does it matter?

When asked which Flash would be The Flash (there have been four of them), Dobkin replied, "Wally West." West took over for Barry Allen, his Uncle, when Allen died. As MTV pointed out, recent rumors over at AICN suggest the new live action JLA flick will open with Barry Allen's funeral. Dobkin even threw out the following tagline when asked about his vision for the film: "You can't outrun yourself." Deep. No word yet on when this film will begin, but you bet whoever signs on to play The Flash in JLA will most likely do so under the condition that they star in the spin-off. What do you think about Dobkin? Is he better than Levy? Goyer?

Well you didn't expect that much time to pass before folks started having a bit of fun with this whole Dumbledore is gay thing. As you may recall, late last week J.K. Rowling outed the character during a reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sparking much debate on this blog and across these great internets. So, you might be wondering, what's left to discuss? How about a list of some other memorable childhood characters who, quite possibly, wouldn't surprise us in their coming out of the closet. Yes, both Vulture and Radar went there, providing readers with two different lists full of fictional characters who could -- dun dun dun -- be ... gay!

Over on Vulture, they target such beloved characters as Fozzie Bear from The Muppet Show, Schroeder from Peanuts, The Flash (is it because he's flaming?), Spock from Star Trek, and -- here's the shocker -- Lando Calrissian from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. (I think the cape is what does him in, but that's me.) Radar, on the other hand, has Willy Wonka (a fine choice, if I may say so myself) on their list, as well as Happy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Samwise Gangee from Lord of the Rings (Sam's not gay, he's just ... emotional), The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Mr. Tumnus from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Check out both lists and let us know what you think -- is this taking it a bit too far? Or, are there characters they're missing?

Ryan Reynolds recently responded to a question about whether he was still interested in tackling the role of The Fastest Man Alive in the upcoming Justice League movie or in a solo Flash film. You can check out his response in a quick video over at ign.com. He stumbled a little bit, saying he wasn't sure how much he was supposed to say, which I suppose implies there is something worth telling. Reynolds explains how he's always identified with Wally West and Barry Allen, the two most recent incarnations incarnations of The Flash, though I say how about giving some props to Jay Garrick the original Scarlet Speedster? More to the point, though, he basically says he's interested if the film comes together. Reynolds was linked to the character when David Goyer was going to write and direct a Flash movie, but Reynolds was presumed off the project when Goyer backed out.

As Cinematical's Jessica Barnes posted the other day, the Justice League movie is said to be on the fast track with production beginning as early as February/March 2008 (though the IGN story mentions January), and Mad Max director George Miller is the likely candidate to sit in the director's chair. Personally, I'm hoping this comes together. We've seen lots of superhero movies in recent years, but this would be on a scale unlike anything we've seen before. If, however, we find out that the Wonder Twins have been worked into the script, I'm planning to shoot myself.

At least once a day we hear about this or that project being "the next big franchise," but following the disappointing performance of Eragon, it is hard to tell which one(s) will actually pull it off. Despite 20th Century Fox already having a potential series on its hands with Night at the Museum, it has brought on that film's director, Shawn Levy, for another attempt at building a brand of blockbusters. This one is based on another children's fantasy novel, the not-yet-published The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep, which seems to need a new title. Part of an eventual series, the book involves a parallel universe in which things like sleep, weather and memory are designed and manufactured. The plot of the first installment follows a boy who must save this world from a glitch in that world. The script for the movie will be written by the book's authors, John Hulme and Michael Wexler (I guess it will be awhile before the next book then?)

Although Levy is on my list of the worst working directors, he isn't much worse than Chris Columbus, who got the ball rolling with the first two Harry Potter movies. He could very well make another hugely successful fantasy film, as he shockingly did with Museum. But at the same time, he has so many projects in the pipeline right now, including Hardy Men and The Flash, that he probably won't devote enough time to any one project to make it really worth our time and money. If he couldn't respect simple historical facts for Museum like Atilla the Hun's race, then he probably won't bother doing any other preparation for The Seems. I guess with a fantasy world, he doesn't have to worry about making errors, but still.

While Warner Bros. continues to be slow with comic adaptations of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and The Flash, it has decided to go ahead with a Justice League of America movie, which could feature all four of these characters as well as Batman and Superman. The studio has officially gotten the project started by hiring the married writing duo Kieran and Michele Mulroney (Mr. & Mrs. Smith; the upcoming Mirrors) to come up with a first draft.

The idea of a Justice League movie is both exciting and difficult to imagine because it would consist of more superhero star power than audiences are used to (Marvel has a similar idea going on with a possible Avengers movie). One big question sure to be driving DC Comics fans mad is will Batman and Superman appear in the contexts of their respective franchises, or in other words will they be played by Christian Bale and Brandon Routh? Maybe Warner Bros. is even thinking of doing the JLA movie in order to launch the franchises for the other four characters (so far we've seen no love for Martian Manhunter at the studio).

My guess is the WB is hoping for a 2010 release, following The Dark Knight in 2008 and Superman: The Man of Steel in 2009. Then, they will get to the spin-offs. And eventually, I'm hoping, there will be some sort of crossover movie that pits the JLA against The Avengers. See, I just can't ever be satisfied. As long as the studios keep producing my dream comic book adaptations, I will have to keep coming up with bigger dreams.

Got a question for you comic book folks: If you were producing a movie version of The Flash, who is the man you'd want sitting in the director's chair? The guy who wrote Dark City, Batman Begins and all three Blade movies -- or the man who gave you Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther and Night at the Museum? Well, as Jessica B. told you just a few days ago, the former (David S. Goyer) is out of the picture -- and today we learn that the latter (Shawn Levy) has inherited the gig.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "elements of Goyer's script will be used in the development process," which means a "story by" credit, at best. Also, Mr. Levy apparently has "no intention of making Flash a comedy," but a lighter touch is clearly what's being asked for here. WB doesn't want an angst-ridden and brooding Flash, I guess. And hey, it could be worse; they could have given the project to Joel Schumacher. For this unfamiliar with The Flash, he's the one who can run ultra-super-fast.