The Flash season 7 will be affected by the show's shortened season 6 due to a production shutdown. The last season of the Arrowverse series was one of its most action-packed yet, thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths. The crossover united all of The CW's DC shows and had a dramatic impact on the entire lineup, including The Flash. Season 6 also focused on two separate villains: Bloodwork and Eva McCulloch/Mirror Master. During the finale, Eva was still wreaking havoc, thanks to season 6 ending three episodes earlier than planned.
As expected, season 7's story will be affected by the truncated season 6. The finale left Iris, Singh, and Kamilla stuck in the Mirrorverse, so that will have to be resolved. Luckily, The Flash's season 7 premiere is already 90% filmed at this point, although it may have to be adjusted due to Hartley Sawyer's firing. The show's writers have extra time for planning, as The CW is holding all of its Arrowverse series for 2021. As a result, The Flash is aiming to start production in August, only a month or so later than it would usually begin.
Earlier this week, showrunner Eric Wallace spoke with TVLine, revealing season 6's shortened episode run will have an impact on the format of season 7: “Because this is The Flash, there’s a huge twist at the end of every season, and that twist is now kind of coming in the middle of the [start of the] season. And that has really affected our storytelling for all of Season 7." Wallace also discussed how the change will affect season 7's "graphic novel" format, sharing, "There are going to be more Graphic Novels next year, but they’re not going to be broken up in the way I think folks expect.”
The Flash's "graphic novels" have essentially become shorthand for villain arcs, so Wallace's hint there are more than usual could mean there are three or even four major villains during season 7. Mirror Master will likely count as one, since she was still very much a threat at the end of season 6. Barry will also finally face off against the real Godspeed, after a fake one was shown near the end of last season, so he may be one of the season's villains as well. Finally, the season 6 finale was supposed to feature a Reverse-Flash cliffhanger, which could be rolled into season 7. It's unlikely The Flash's new season will have a villain as dangerous as the Anti-Monitor fought during Crisis on Infinite Earths, but there are still some interesting options.
As of now, however, any information about The Flash season 7 feels very tentative, with hardly any TV and film productions back at work. Given the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus, it's impossible to know what things will look like in August, or what unexpected challenges Hollywood productions will face once work resumes. All of these things could have an impact on The Flash season 7, potentially even affecting its premiere date. However, based on this new information, it sounds like Wallace is already thinking ahead and is likely ready to make more accommodations if need be.
Source: TVLine