135: The Flash (with Adam Jackson)

Junk Filter

Returning guest Adam Jackson joined me to bear witness to the box office failure The Flash, on track to lose Warner Bros 200 million dollars after opening with a dismal box office take that was less than half of what was originally projected.

The Flash was caught up in several nightmares, including the public meltdown of its star Ezra Miller and three regime changes at WB/DC that led to several reshoots and a strange marketing plan that played down Miller and played up the various Batmans featured in this multiverse time-travel adventure (Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck and a cameo from George Clooney) and unconvincing hyperbole from the studio heads about how massive it was going to be (James Gunn even described it the best superhero movie ever made).

Why did it bomb so hard? Adam and I discuss the convoluted plot, the troubled lead actor, the crude visual effects (rationalized as a deliberate choice by director Andy Muschietti) the questionable resurrection of Christopher Reeve as Superman, and the creative dead end this series has found itself in as WB/DC prepares for a franchise reset.

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Trailer for The Flash (Andy Muschietti, 2023)