The DC blacklist among fans is long, but Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav is slowly climbing up that ladder. The studio head waxed lyrical over The Flash after early screenings for the controversial movie took place at CinemaCon on Tuesday, and scorned Batgirl supporters were left feeling double-crossed.
Zaslav reportedly called the Ezra Miller-led blockbuster the best superhero movie he’s ever seen – a far cry from the backing he offered to the infamously shelved DC title. At the time, Zaslav argued Batgirl wasn’t up to par with DC’s standards, but considering the slew of accusations against Flash star Miller for the last three years, fans are left wondering what exactly those standards are.
The general opinion seems to be that Warner Bros. had no choice but to release The Flash and is now scrambling to ensure its success. While Miller had already been filmed strangling a woman before production started for the film, most of their misdemeanours came after filming had wrapped up. By that time, DC had already spent $200 million on it. No wonder Zaslav is going the extra mile to hype up this title if that’s the amount of money they need to recoup when the film hits theaters in June.
Although fans were already unhappy with the state of the formerly-known-as DC Extended Universe, the merger between DC parent company Warner Bros. and Discovery in April of 2022 brought about even more contentious decisions at the hands of Zaslav. These included Batgirl‘s shelving, and the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new co-CEOs of DC Studios, which in turn resulted in Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck’s permanent ousting from the franchise. All the while, Miller remained unscathed and employed by the studios, with rumors of a sequel to The Flash making everybody’s heads explode.
With the future of the DC Universe yet to be written, the reception to The Flash when it releases on June 16, 2023 will be absolutely critical for the Gunn-Safran duo and Zaslav.