Spider-Verse filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached to DC's The Flash way back in 2015, developing their own plans for the film. Even though they wound up departing the project, they've still got their treatment in their back pocket in the hopes they'll get to make it someday.
"We had a very elaborate treatment," Miller says in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (around the 49 minute mark), with Lord elaborating that it was "pretty different" from the film that actually came to fruition.
"It's a good idea, and I'm afraid to not be able to use someday," Lord explains when asked what the plot would have been. "That's all I can say."
"We like the stuff," adds Miller. "We get intrigued by stuff that's intriguing."
Lord and Miller wound up departing The Flash in part to work on Lucasfilm's Solo: A Star Wars Story, a project they were essentially fired from, with director Ron Howard coming in to replace them. Solo eventually landed with something of a thud, but it's entirely likely that might have happened regardless of who was at the helm.
As we all know, DC did move forward with The Flash, ultimately bringing in writers Christina Hodson and John Frances Daley as well as director Andy Muschietti, with Ezra Miller in the lead as Barry Allen. Despite moves like bringing back Michael Keaton's Batman, the film wound up much-maligned by fans with bad to middling critical response.
So far, current DC Universe mastermind James Gunn hasn't specifically announced plans for The Flash, likely giving the character some breathing room before trying again, probably with a new actor and a totally different story.
If and when it's time to give The Flash another cinematic lap, Lord and Miller could be pretty good choices to tackle the speedster, considering his comic connections to DC's Multiverse and to the concept of a superhero legacy being passed from mentor to protege - tidbits that share some DNA with the Spider-Verse franchise.
If you're ready for more DC action, you can look ahead with our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows, and you can also look backwards with our timeline of how to watch the DC movies in order.
