The Flash director Andy Muschietti honors the legacy of Zack Snyder's DC Snyderverse trilogy by building upon Zack Snyder's Justice League in The Flash.
Zack Snyder's Justice League was released just weeks before production began for The Flash in April 2021, and insider claims reported that the Muschietti siblings had watched the film and “100% dug the Snyder cut.” As a result of these claims, insiders expressed that they changed The Flash to reflect the canon of Zack Snyder's Justice League, which saw the introduction of Ezra Miller's Barry Allen as Snyder envisioned the Scarlet Speedster when initially casting them. Despite James Gunn taking out Snyderverse scenes from The Flash ending, these rumors and insider claims come full circle with Andy Muschietti saying he honored Zack Snyder in The Flash.
Sean O'Connell at CinemaBlend sat down with Andy and Barbara Muschietti and asked if they showed Snyder The Flash, to which Andy replied, “I would love Zack to watch this movie. I think we honored the part of the movie that he created in terms of characters and characterizations. And cast. So, I think he would enjoy it.” To further this, Warner Bros. Confirmed through its production notes that “Production designer Paul Denham Austerberry was charged with creating a cohesive and contemporary visual language that bridges the two worlds that collide… the Anton Furst designs from Tim Burton’s BATMAN and Patrick Tatopoulos’ work from Zack Snyder’s JUSTICE LEAGUE." Patrick Tatopoulos, who was present during the Snyderverse Full Circle event, also worked with Snyder on Batman v Superman, where he designed various elements like the Batcave and Batmobile.
The theatrical cut of Justice League featured countless changes that Snyder never approved, and the DCEU films that came after did not dive into or reference the overarching story Snyder established, unlike the previous DCEU films like Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. However, because Barry Allen was already introduced in Justice League, Andy Muschietti had to adapt Joss Whedon's or Snyder's version. After watching Zack Snyder's Justice League, the choice appears to have been Snyder's version, confirmed by Andy Muschietti's own words. This can also be seen in The Flash trailers through various references that were only in the Snyder Cut, such as Barry Allen and Iris West meeting, Bruce Wayne acknowledging that Flash can time travel, the same Batcave as Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Batman's flying fox vehicle still being in action.
As a result, several elements separate The Flash from the theatrical cut of Justice League, not just in the characterization of Barry Allen but also in aesthetic choices deeply rooted in the Snyderverse. A few Snyderverse fans who were fortunate enough to watch The Flash have all claimed that the movie respects Snyder's characterization of the DCEU. So, for fans of those aspects of the DCEU who may be on the fence, it seems like there's that much more of a reason to be excited, as The Flash could be the last DCEU film before the DCU reboot that pays homage to the Snyderverse.
The Flash will hit theaters on June 16, 2023.
Source: CinemaBlend