Recent developments with Birds of Prey.
On top of Muschietti and Hodson boarding The Flash, Ezra Miller remains attached to the project. The film's previous directing team, Johnathan Daley and John Francis Daley, were said to have been interested in taking a lighthearted approach to the project, while Miller favored a darker take. These creative differences proved stark enough that Miller took it upon himself to team with Grant Morrison to pen a The Flash script more in line with his vision for the project, and indications at the time appeared to signal that his days as The Scarlet Speedster were nearing an end.
Ultimately, while Warner Bros. rejected Miller and Morrison’s script, the studio decided to keep Miller in the role, with Daley and Goldstein departing the film. Muschietti and Hodson’s involvement with The Flash raises a lot of interesting questions about the tone and direction the project will now take, but these latest developments may also give cause to re-examine Ray Fisher’s future as Cyborg within the larger DCEU.
Cyborg Was Going To Be In The Flash Movie
The casual observer might question how Ezra Miller’s continued tenure as The Flash would have any bearing, positive or negative, on Ray Fisher’s future as Cyborg. However, an important point to consider here is that which Fisher has vocally ed the release of), it points to the groundwork being laid for Barry and Victor to form a close friendship in the former’s solo film.
While The Flash has seen a succession of filmmakers come and go from directing and writing duties, an appearance by Cyborg has apparently been a component of virtually every iteration of The Flash. The full extent of Victor Stone’s role has never been entirely clear, but it nevertheless stands as a major element of The Flash for as long as Ray Fisher has been attached to the role. With Ezra Miller going as far as to pen his own script for the project, he’s clearly aiming for something in the vein of what the film originally began as during its initial conception. And that immediately begs the question: Does that include Cyborg?
Ray Fisher’s DC Contract Has Expired (But So Had Ezra Miller’s)
Of course, whatever plans there may have been in the past for Cyborg’s role in The Flash are irrelevant now without Ray Fisher being around to reprise the role. And to be sure, the project has undoubtedly undergone changes with each director that’s been attached. What’s more, Cyborg hasn’t appeared in any DC Films since Justice League, with the closest thing to a Victor Stone appearance of any sort being a row of in-universe Cyborg action figures briefly glimpsed in a scene in Shazam! Additionally casting doubt on Fisher’s future in the role is the fact that his DC Films contract reportedly expired this past May.
That would be a valid point to raise in expressing skepticism of Ray Fisher making an appearance in The Flash, were it not for the fact that Ezra Miller’s contract expired at the same time. Of course, Miller’s continued involvement would more immediately and obviously necessitate Warner Bros. re-g him to a new contract. However, with Miller remaining attached to The Flash, and Warner Bros. seemingly going to great lengths to keep him there, there is the question of just what concessions the studio has made to how Miller envisions the film being made. Furthermore, it's unclear on whether the expiration Fisher's contract can truly preclude him from appearing in The Flash, as well.
What Miller’s Flash Movie Could Mean For Cyborg
With all of these developments coming after the expiration of Miller’s contract and a new writer and director boarding the project, that leaves us with the question of whether or not Victor Stone is one of the elements carried over from previous versions of The Flash in order to retain Miller’s involvement. Although the studio chose not to proceed with Miller and Grant Morrison’s script, and his contract has expired, the fact remains that he is the sole original participant to remain attached to The Flash amid all its creative hurdles. That could only be the case if Warner Bros. has chosen to make certain compromises towards what Miller wants out of the project. And, once again, that brings us back to Cyborg.
Like Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher has never shown any dip in enthusiasm for his role in the DCEU. At a recent appearance at Celebrity Fan Fest in June, Fisher expressed his continued excitement for the role of Cyborg. While conceding that the ultimate decision is “a little above my pay grade”, Fisher expressed his belief that departing from the role of Victor Stone (as he's already made very clear previously).
Naturally, with Fisher’s contract having expired, any decision on his continued involvement with the DCEU rests with Warner Bros. But if The Flash's Ezra Miller situation has shown anything, it's that they will make adjustments to fit talent; the involvement of Andy Muschietti and Christina Hodson in directing and screenwriting capacities indicates that despite his own screenplay being rejected, it’s likely that Miller has been granted some not-insignificant concessions to his own vision for the project. With Cyborg having been envisioned to appear in the film from the start, the evidence available at present indicates that while nothing is known for certain about Ray Fisher's future as Cyborg, the character's originally planned appearance in The Flash cannot be ruled out.
