The Flash Cancelled? (My Two Cents Worth)

Everything under the sun gets cancelled these days, and man, is it ever getting out of hand. WB shouldn't have cancelled Batgirl (left it incomplete, that is) and its execs sure as hell shouldn't shelve the finished (and long delayed) The Flash, which is now rumored as a possibility. 

Regardless of Ezra Miller's antics, other celebs have done much the same or far worse in public over the years. There was a time when Robert Downey Jr's career was thought to be doomed due to his scandalous addiction, and yet he got his act together to play Iron Man for the long haul. In a nod to Downey, WB should get Miller "help" and draw publicity from that. It would make the Flash flick all the bigger upon release. (Who knows? Maybe that's the studio's surreptitious plan.) 

In any event, Michael Keaton's participation in The Flash is the real selling point. The novelty of inserting his Batman into the storyline takes the alternate-universe concept to a whole, new clever level. (His participation in Batgirl would hold the same weight, and it's not too late to finish that one, if only to secure more HBO Max subscribers.)

Hey, don't get me wrong, when celebrities do dumb things it can hurt a movie. (I know I've passed on a few flicks because some Hollywood know-it-all uttered some stupid-ass comment that rubbed me the wrong way.) All the same, hasn't Miller already remedied his missteps by using the non-binary card, or at least in one such instance? I mean, Jesse Smollett basically got away with fabricating a goddamn, faux police report because of his ballyhooed, sexual preference, so what makes Miller's situation any different? I'm not condoning the lad's actions, but still...

Mistakes made beyond a film or stage characterization are just that, and throwing a ton of money away because a performer is on the slip isn't reason enough to pretend a movie (a work of art) doesn't exist. (That's just downright Orwellian.) Get The Flash out there for folks to see. Do the same for Batgirl. Trust me, the world won't end if these two are put in cinematic circulation. 

BATMAN OFFSHOOTS: RISE & FALL

The Leslie Grace-helmed Batgirl, costarring Michael Keaton, has bit the dust, and not just per pre-production. This one was basically all done and in the HBO Max can, with only some garnishing to pad it, so I'm thinking that maybe somewhere along the line, the darn thing will still see the light of day. But then again, I'm still pining for that Superman IV: The Quest for Peace revision. It's just how I am: hopeful to a reckless fault. 

Grace made a pretty sexy Barbara Gordon. (I mean, check out those publicity photos, and then pick your jaw off the floor). On that pin-up basis alone, the shelving of the entry is a major loss to fans, DC/WB and otherwise. However, even though Batgirl is no longer in the release pipeline, Joker 2 is. 

There was much speculation on whether a Joker sequel would be made. (Why mess with demented perfection, right?) That Joaquin Phoenix is returning as the burgeoning Clown Prince of Crime is a dream come true for those who fancy a nightmarish jester, and (what do ya know?!) Lady Gaga is to take on the role of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. 

This second-half, alternate-reality chapter will no doubt sustain the somber tone of the original character study, and while Margot Robbie's Quinn is spot-on to a sublime extent, a mesmerized, anguished Quinn seems ideal for Ms. Gaga. (Just imagine those psych-room exchanges as Mister J seduces Harleen to the pasty-faced side.) 

Hey, ya win some, ya lose some in this ongoing, big-budget superhero/supervillain game, but the Batman mythos isn't going away anytime soon, even if it's only fueled by hardy, speculative discussion. And remember, regardless of Ezra Miller's controversial behavior, The Flash is still on the horizon with Keaton in full, Dark Knight swing. Something Bat-tastic to look forward to, indeed!