Over a year ago, Ezra Miller teamed up with Grant Morrison to write a script for The Flash as a means of saving his chances of starring in the flick. That script isn’t being used but details about it have emerged online.
The breakdown comes to us from YouTube channel Warstu and a Reddit thread. It was categorized as unverified so take it for what it is.
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The embed link here will have you believe the thread is deleted but the outgoing link still works. Either way, enjoy the GIF. You can also see screen shots of the thread below this article.
Warstu starts by saying the details look legit and Miller & Morrison’s vision for Barry Allen is a starting-out approach similar to The Batman and The CW TV series.
Barry’s in his first two years as a superhero in the public eye and aspects of his origin – his mom’s death, getting struck by lightning, coming up with costumes – occur in flashbacks.
He designs “a bright red onesie as a nod” and is still testing the limits of his powers. We’d have seen Barry stopping the robbery at the convenience store in the CCTV footage from Batman v. Superman but from his point of view.
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To better understand his abilities, Barry goes to Keystone, PA, to consult a physicist and expert, Professor Peter Garrick. He “mysteriously knows Barry’s name before he even introduces himself,” says the Reddit post.”
Garrick also explains speed and time travel, warning Barry of “the ramifications.” This augurs Barry’s big dilemma.
He’s haunted by the memories of the night his mom was killed and the vision of “a red-eyed monster” – i.e., Reverse-Flash.
Iris West is in the story but she and Barry aren’t a couple. Though she knows he is The Flash, and apparently is the only one who does, they tried and couldn’t make things work. Barry fears losing another loved one too greatly.
The subplot with Iris is being held onto for the film’s current draft by Christina Hodson, according to Warstu.
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The plot revolves around the investigation of the murder of Barry’s mentor, John Alvins. Alvins was a detective on the case of the death of Barry’s mother and looked after him growing up.
He was murdered by his partner, Lisa Snart, sister of Captain Cold, Leonard Snart. The investigation is botched by police, they arrest the wrong man and Barry looks into things himself as The Flash.
Lisa Snart killed Alvins to distract the cops while “alpha-level metahuman Sam Scudder” (Mirror Master) sprung her jailed brother from a “convoy passing through Central City.”
So the film establishes Capt. Cold, Golden Glider, and Mirror Master as major villains (along with a reference to Reverse-Flash). They team up to rebuild Snart’s cold gun and find a scientist who experimented on Scudder.
“Snart and Scutter go on a rampage through Central City to track down Howard and eventually find him,” the post reads. “Snart holds him back from killing him, and instead offers to spare Howard in exchange for one small favor.”
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Flash finds their hideout and engages. He finds himself “outgunned” by Scudder’s abilities. Capt. Cold freezes Barry’s leg and breaks it, forcing him to retreat. Police chase him and he’s framed for Alvins’ murder.
He has nowhere to turn except Iris. She nurses him back to health and this restarts their romance. Believing his innocence, she posts positive stuff online defending The Flash “to Barry’s dismay.”
With no Flash around, Scudder (in armor) and Snart pull off bank jobs and “deliberately avoid killing.” They then kidnap Iris to draw The Flash out.
Barry is busy confiding in his father who’s jailed in a similar situation, framed for murder. He gets back in the suit to fight Snart and Scudder on a bridge. Cops get involved and Iris is gunned down in a crossfire.
Death is nothing to a speedster. Enraged, “Barry runs fast enough in order time travel to save Iris but lands in an area of the speed force which is much more frightening than he anticipated.”
He glimpses a “red-eyed demon briefly” before being attacked by a “zombified” Flash. Warstu identifies the zombie as Black Flash.
A younger Garrick, now going by Jay, in the Speed Force, and in his own suit saves Barry. Jay guides him out but doesn’t recognize him this time.
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One day in the past, Barry takes down Scudder and Lisa Snart, saving Iris from certain doom in the process. He and Iris get back together at the end – “happy times.”
But things aren’t over yet. Leonard Snart is left standing. He lures Barry (who has a new suit) to a subway tunnel and injects himself with an untested formula invented by Dr. Howard. Snart becomes a metahuman with cold powers.
Snart’s powers weaken Flash’s speed. Out of options, they brawl and Barry “barely” ekes out the win. Snart can’t adapt physically to his new abilities and the formula kills him.
Flash is proven innocent and he meets with Jay one more time. He explains, vaguely, two Flashes can’t exist at the same time so Jay is powerless. It’s ambiguously implied Garrick is from another timeline; history shows there is no other Flash but Barry.
Jay gives Barry the ring for his new suit. “I don’t need it anymore,” Garrick assures. Lastly, he warns Barry “play with the fabric of space and time.” It’ll create a “paradox” (in bold).
Final scenes: Lisa Snart in jail vowing revenge and Barry conceding to his dad he is The Flash and “that his mother’s killer is still out there.”
The Reddit post ends with the anonymous leaker admitting he read the script while employed by Warner Bros. He adds there were more Easter Eggs, like the Flash museum.
Here is his closing statement:
“I really enjoyed reading this at my time at Warners. I know WB are going for something more commercial and it’s a shame that Ezra and Grant couldn’t get to do what they wanted. It shows how passionate Ezra was about the project. Ezra was interested in having Cyborg in there but Grant insisted on a standalone Flash film for his first solo outing. Although there’s some really cool easter eggs. There’s a bit where we get a nod to a little ‘Flash museum’ which he builds at his hideout. We see mementos from other films like the batarang from Justice League and the boomerang from Suicide Squad. It was a very detailed script and it’s a shame they tossed it out. I certainly hope Morrison returns for something down the line for another film at Warners.”
Warstu was messaged on Instagram about the leak. He compared the plot to season one of The CW series and likes the Miller-Morrison script better as a proper introduction of The Flash than the movie we’re getting.
You can see the full Reddit leak below.
The Flash is still set for a 2022 release.