Things Are On The Up And Up For The Batman And The Flash

It appears even a global pandemic will not keep The Batman and The Flash from hitting the big screen on schedule. That news is no doubt welcome and a bit surprising for movie fans, as film and television productions have struggled mightily over the last year to stay on track, after the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut productions down for much of 2020 and continues to wreak havoc on the entertainment industry in the early days of 2021. But productions are up and running the world over, with strict quarantine and distancing restrictions — designed to limit any exposure by cast and crew — in place. So far, the UK film industry has led that particular charge in noble fashion, and has even notably been aided by the likes of superstar Tom Cruise in trying to keep cast and crew in line with the aforementioned restrictions. 

Thankfully, a recent report claims the UK's current production protocols — which include on-set distancing, mask requirements, a two-week quarantine period once in country, and a certified negative COVID-19 test for those traveling from afar — are having the desired effect. And if that report is to be believed, things really are on the up and up for productions across the region. That includes a handful of currently in-production titles from major Hollywood studios, with the aforementioned superhero flicks chief among them.  

A report from Screen Daily claims the productions for those highly-anticipated DC superhero flicks are slated to wrap on schedule, which presumably could mean they would arrive in theaters on time. However, even as productions are successfully ramping back up across the globe, the same cannot be said for movie theaters, which continue to remain either shuttered or operating at limited capacity, causing studios to continue shuffling premiere dates for virtually every film on their slates.

Nonetheless, The Batman and The Flash will be among the glut of finished waiting for theaters to reopen. As for The Batman, news that it's primed to wrap on schedule in March couldn't be more unexpected, as the production was shut down briefly when the new Caped Crusader himself, Robert Pattinson, contracted COVID-19. Assuming the film doesn't suffer any further setbacks, The Batman should be ready for its March 2022 release.

The Flash, on the other hand, hasn't started filming yet. But as Screen Daily claims, star Ezra Miller is already in the UK shooting the Fantastic Beasts sequel for Warner Bros. and is scheduled to jump right into production on The Flash once that film wraps. The Flash director Andy Muschietti is reportedly already in town too, so the major players for that film are ready to go, meaning it should easily begin production on its allotted start date. Assuming the good times continue to roll on UK productions, The Flash should have no trouble meeting its current November 22 release as well.