Attempts to make a movie about The Flash have been ongoing for over 30 years.
In the late 1980s, Hollywood began developing a movie about the DC superhero The Flash. Yet, it is only now that those plans have come to fruition.
In cinemas now and simply titled The Flash, the blockbuster sees the character (also known as Barry Allen and played by Ezra Miller) use his powers of speed to travel back in time and save his mother from being killed.
However, doing so winds up trapping Allen in an alternate reality in which other metahumans like him do not exist, leaving Earth vulnerable to an attack by the villainous Kryptonian warrior General Zod (Michael Shannon).
In order to save the world and get back to his original reality, The Flash enlists the help of an older Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Michael Keaton), as well as some other allies.
Ahead of the movie's release, JOE had the opportunity to chat with the blockbuster's director Andy Muschietti and its producer Barbara Muschietti - both of which are also known for their work on the two IT movies.
Our entertainment editor Rory Cashin asked the pair for their theories on why Hollywood has struggled to bring the iconic speedster to the big screen.
In response, Andy Muschietti cited his view that The Flash as a comic book character was less three-dimensional back in the '80s and only gained "more depth and profoundness" thanks to the work of writers like Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison in the intervening years.
"What I can say is that the character has gained depth. The character in the comic books has been gifted with a three-dimensionality that it didn't have back in the days," he explained.
"So, it's not terrible that we had to wait a little bit for a more deeply human story with darkness and lightness finally finding the screen.
"It's very different - my childhood experience with The Flash than the new Flash which basically has been reshaped over the years by authors like Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison who gave the character more depth and profoundness."
Meanwhile, Barbara Muschietti joked: "We're also very stubborn so we decided we were going to do it and we got it done."
The Flash is in Irish cinemas right now.
You can watch JOE's interview with Andy and Barbara Muschietti right here:
