The All Things Flash Thread. - Part 2

[jetage]

I think WB's biggest concern at this time concerning a release in theaters is "A Death by a Thousand Cuts" scenario, where the story won't go away, and even 6,8, 14 weeks something new happens.

I assume a low key release, no red carpet, no big press events, nothing to bring any extra attention, unless the story ends here, and there is no new events to face palm the series.

Though in all honesty I am not a movie exec, so I could be wrong. But if the DOJ gets involved, FBI, ATF, there are charges, carrying a minor across state lines, pedophilia, drugs, guns, and then a guilty conviction, I think all bets could be off.

 

[super85]

Imagine Keaton having to talk about the lead of the film in a interview etc.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I assume a low key release, no red carpet, no big press events, nothing to bring any extra attention, unless the story ends here, and there is no new events to face palm the series.

Quite possibly. It's freakin' heartbreaking for me that we're having to think that might be the case for Keaton's return after 30 years.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I'm with the people who say to make sure the marketing focuses mainly on Keaton, take as much attention off of Ezra as possible and possibly announce another Batman flick with Keaton attached or something. What an insane and unfortunate set of circumstances.

 

[InCali]

I'm with the people who say to make sure the marketing focuses mainly on Keaton, take as much attention off of Ezra as possible and possibly announce another Batman flick with Keaton attached or something. What an insane and unfortunate set of circumstances.

Let's just say they might sometimes have done a better job vetting the people they cast.

 

[Comicbookguy339]

What is messed up is that WB thinks best case scenario is Ezra getting away with abusing Tokata until the movie comes out. Because if Tokata's parents do get Tokata away from Miller then I have no doubt that even more horrible stuff about Miller will come to light between now and when the movie releases.

 

[Lily Adler]

I'm with the people who say to make sure the marketing focuses mainly on Keaton, take as much attention off of Ezra as possible and possibly announce another Batman flick with Keaton attached or something. What an insane and unfortunate set of circumstances.

Funny thing that Batman flick was Batgirl.

 

[Lily Adler]

I'd think they'd want to retain Flash as a theatrical franchise since there's just more money there. Unless maybe it becomes a GL situation at the box office and it's a huge flop? But who knows? DC was pretty chaotic before, but under Zaslav's it's too early to tell what their reactions might be. So far the only hint is he wants to bring back Superman and wants to coalesce the DCU better, so if he wants to do that, Flash might have a chance of being a theatrical reboot.

I just think after this mess they found themselves in. The confidence in the brand will wane enough that they won't risk another theatrical release.

 

[The Infernal]

Zaslav inherited this mess, but he has to get out in front of it and actively acknowledge Ezra is a disaster to save the brand. Otherwise he just joins the latest in a line of executives who failed to act.

Now whether that means scrapping the movie and repurposing shot footage with actors like Keaton, Affleck etc for other projects or just dumping the movie as is in PR-less cinema run or even straight to streaming is another question.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

General practice for risk analysts/strategists in the first instance is to look to similar, historical occurrences to see how they were dealt with. But I'm struggling to think of anything that really parallels this. Certainly not to this level.

 

[I Am The Knight]

So based on that report from a few days ago about what WB is considering to do with the film, it seems they will just do a low key release to recoup some of the budget and them dump this on HBO Max after 45 days...Or less. Zaslav will probably blame this on previous management and recast Ezra for a soft reboot with BatFleck in tow.

 

[The Infernal]

General practice for risk analysts/strategists in the first instance is to look to similar, historical occurrences to see how they were dealt with. But I'm struggling to think of anything that really parallels this. Certainly not to this level.

No, not on the same level. Kevin Spacey was erased from a film, but he wasn't that big of a part and the film he was in not as high of a budget that has already been delayed a number of times.

However, I think this will soon become a question of money vs brand if it isn't already.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

However, I think this will soon become a question of money vs brand if it isn't already.

Absolutely. And you've got to look to the long-term. A short-term financial hit (heavy though it would be) has got to be preferable to the long-term financial implications of very heavy brand taint/damage. The fly in the ointment would be if someone weren't in a position to be able to soak up that short-term hit (which I can't see being the case).

 

[Detective Conan]

What Should WB Do With The Flash Movie?

 

[Frodo]

I actually don't think a theatrical run is a guarantee.
I would have said it was a couple of weeks ago pre the recent allegations, but now, it's up in the air.

No one knows who Ezra is in the GA, but they will know his reputation if the film comes out in theaters , and there's no amount of wishing and explaining away from WB that's gonna change that.

Even attempting to shift the marketing isn't gonna change it .

So I don't, by any means, think that WB is guaranteed to just throw it in theaters and take their chances.
Even given the amount of money on the line.

At a certain point, it becomes about the studios reputation, fair or not.

You can point to as many members of the cast and crew who worked on it as you want, but the press ,and just people in general aren't gonna care.

And if they're having to explain and justify that, they've already lost the argument in terms of PR imo.

 

[kguillou]

WB's going to take a black eye from this one way or the other, its a matter of choosing the lesser of all evils.

The movie will come out. All these big budget films have investors to answer to, promotional deals, merchandising deals and contracts, too much legal red tape involved to simply shelve it. Its going to come out. Guaranteed. Question is, how?

Option 1: Zaslov can choose to get in front of this, disown Ezra and proceed with a marketing tour which will be pretty awkward as all of the stars will have to talk around the absence of its main star but at least the press will know WB’s stance on Ezra. The upside to this being that it gives WB some credibility with the press and the movie can still potentially make money IF the movie is a good movie in of itself and hits with the GA.

Option 2: WBD stays quiet and pretends like nothing ever happened, lets the movie release with minimal press tour and hope its a hit. Downside: the stars still have to answer for Ezra, probably even more so now, from the press since WBD wouldnt have released a statement. It puts the stars in a very awkward position. After the movie comes out they announce they've severed ties with Ezra.

Option 3: they release this on HBO Max and take the monetary loss but gain a bump in subscriptions. Doing this may still fulfill most of their legal obligations and they'll still be able to release toys and merchandise and yadda yadda. BUT, and this is a BIG but, WBD could still get in trouble with the talent involved. Whats to stop Muschietti or Keaton or Affleck's attorneys from filing lawsuits against WB just like Scarlett Johansson did with Disney last year for releasing Black Widow on Disney +? Again, guys, we cannot discount the countless legal complications that come with making these types of movies. All the stars' agents definitely are making sure that theatrical distribution is written in their contracts.

 

[The Infernal]

Personally I think WB publicly disowning Ezra should be number 1 in whichever option they choose, even if it is the release the movie with little fanfare. Zaslav is in the ideal place to get in front of this now considering he has already canned some people and may be looking to fire others.

As far other actors contractual obligations for a cinematic run I could actually see some of them being more peeved at being seen alongside Ezra. Keaton especially given he was cagey about returning at all, now he's looking at his big return as Batman being marred by this scandal. They may all be praying for another re-shoot.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Option 2: WBD stays quiet and pretends like nothing ever happened, lets the movie release with minimal press tour and hope its a hit. Downside: the stars still have to answer for Ezra, probably even more so now, from the press since WBD wouldnt have released a statement. It puts the stars in a very awkward position. After the movie comes out they announce they've severed ties with Ezra.

I've gone backwards and forwards between 1 and 2, but in the absence of any other BTS info (and I'm sure there's a lot) I'd have to go with this one. I could see the stars doing no interviews at all for the duration, with the studio relying entirely on very carefully put together trailers/TV spots, posters, and merchandising. This of course depends on no further Miller bombshells hitting before release (how likely is that?).

 

[Mysteryman]

I'm predicting HBO Max DCEU series with a new Flash that'll have a backdoor to that GL series.

I sincerely hope that they don't go that route.

 

[Lily Adler]

I sincerely hope that they don't go that route.

Hey I want a theatrical Flash films, but I don't see WB risking a sequel after this.

 

[Detective Conan]

Hey I want a theatrical Flash films, but I don't see WB risking a sequel after this.

Especially if, y’know, the movie underperforms or flops.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Funny thing that Batman flick was Batgirl.

They could heavily promote that too. That movie deserves a theatrical release.

 

[J.Drangal]

Imagine Keaton having to talk about the lead of the film in a interview etc.

"I don't know... I just said "Let's get nuts" like it was wrote in the script. But that kid... he just went for it."

 

[Herolee10]

If Warner Bros can't reshoot Ezra's scenes with someone else, just repackage this film as a Batman film and add in new scenes that shifts the focus onto Keaton's character.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

WB should sue Miller for breach of contract if possible and take away all that money that they gave them (Miller) for damages. At least Miller wouldn't be able to lavishly constantly travel around as much and cause more damage.