This is a spoiler but we can confirm the rumored cameos in The Flash by Christopher Reeve’s likeness – made possible in post-production digitally – are genuine. He appears alongside his cousin Kara, the Supergirl portrayed in the 1980s by Helen Slater, whose face is also supplied digitally. This appearance might be a wow for Warner executives, but fans aren’t completely sold.
They don’t think Reeve would be too pleased either and one is using a clip of him on a British talk show post-Superman IV to make the case. On Twitter, user Teej shared the video in which the actor addresses his frustration with sequels and the Warner Bros. studio’s empty promises and used-car salesman tactics Reeve diagnoses as a symptom of “sequelitis.”
“What the majors do is they take what grossed $100 million last year and get the ingredients back together again and try to pump it up a few more times,” Reeve explained. “Of course, the quality is a sliding scale of diminishing returns, and I think very rarely you get a sequel that is an improvement of what went before it.”
The irony of this… Warner Brothers did exactly what Christopher Reeve hated.. he would’ve HATED the idea of his cameo in The Flash pic.twitter.com/ABLUin9hrX
— Teej (@UsUnitedJustice) June 14, 2023
Reeve expounded on his point and was critical of the studios and the optimistic sales pitches he was subject to. “They will make all the promises above the line,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘it’ll be wonderful, we’re going back to the original, it’ll be great,’” when the result is Superman III or The Quest For Peace with its Nuclear Men.
“It is true that they want to reach their hand into the till again and come up with a fist full of gold,” Reeve added. However, “They don’t want to always do what it takes to put out the quality,” which he felt alienated audiences used to spectacle and often cautious about spending their money out of fear of disappointment.
The late actor concluded by remarking that executives are in many cases agents, business managers, and lawyers lacking a love for film as an art form who have taken over Hollywood. Reeve was saying this before he had his accident and, moreover, decades before the MCU and DCEU existed. He might not have foreseen the modern era but his observations still apply.
Teej, sharing this perspective, wrote in a reply to his initial post, “Yes, he’s talking about sequels, but his chief message is applicable to The Flash.” He shared an image of deep-faked Reeve and Helen Slater side by side as well and commented the visual is “beyond insane.” That photo, clearly snapped at a screening, was soon deleted.
Yes, he’s talking about sequels, but his chief message is applicable to The Flash
— Teej (@UsUnitedJustice) June 14, 2023
The Flash and all its wacky cameos release today. Will you be seeing them or do you agree and stand with the outrage of Teej and Reeve?