At some point in time the DC Extended Universe looked like the alternative choice to everything Marvel Studios. However, the Warner Bros. superhero universe is having a bit of trouble getting off the ground. It even has trouble trying to catch up to Marvel. Case in point, The Flash, which has been hit with production delays, release date push backs, and directors coming and going.

Now a new report confirms that the standalone film won’t be able to make its 2020 release, and now will hit theaters in 2021. More on the report below.

Variety says The Flash isn’t expected to begin production until late 2019, and will open in theaters in 2021. The reason: Ezra Miller has a key supporting role in the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, the Harry Potter spinoff. Production for that begins in July 2019. And judging by the looks of things, by the time Miller is done with that he will jump right into The Flash. So if you want to blame someone, blame Newt.

Joking aside, Warner Bros. believes that the script also needs a few tweaks and believe that there isn’t enough time to ensure that the script is where it needs to be in order to hit that previous 2020 release date.

Spider-Man: Homecoming writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are currently attached to direct. They are the third set of directors to be attached to the script having replaced Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa – both of whom left for creative differences and in a span of two years.

The news comes on the heels of Henry Cavill’s exit as Superman, a character he has played since Man of Steel was released in 2013. The Flash was originally a standalone film that was to be released alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Suicide Squad, and Green Lantern Corps. And so far, two out of the seven films that have been announced have been released with a third in Aquaman coming in a couple of months. That’s not very good. Additionally, more and more titles have been announced, but very little has been done since then.

However, since Justice League‘s box office disappointment, WB is re-evaluating their approach to DC films. One thing they have done is hire Walter Hamada to oversee production on DC films. Aquaman is the only DCEU film to hit theaters this year. While Wonder Woman 1984 and Shazam! open next year. Todd Phillips’ The Joker also opens next year, but that takes place in a universe separate from the DCEU. And we can expect to see Birds of Prey in 2020. So it’s a far cry from the number of films that Marvel releases a year.

It’s quite unfortunate to see The Flash get pushed back to 2021. As the founding member of the Justice League, you’d think he would have his own film by now. But that hasn’t happened. And with each and every new delay, people will most likely forget about The Flash. Unless, he inserts himself in cameo roles for other films. They could plant the seeds for a Flash film if he runs back in time in Wonder Woman 1984, but that is speculation on my part.

At least WB is willing to admit they still need to iron the script out rather than rush into production. Honestly, I’d rather wait for them to do that than see a poorly done DC movie. And we’ve seen the results of that before. So here’s hoping we can get a decent The Flash that is on the same level as Wonder Woman and hopefully Aquaman.

[Source: Variety]