EDITORIAL: The Flash Cinematic Debut

In this next editorial, I will discuss my take on the character of Barry Allen/the Flash within a possible DC Cinematic Universe. The character of the Flash will be discussed in conjunction with his impending television series on the CW, which you will find below. So without further ado…

Let us start with that very television series, currently set to star Grant Gustin as the titular hero, Barry Allen. As we all know, Barry/Grant is set to be introduced first in the next two episodes of Arrow. I want to make myself clear that I do not agree with portraying the Flash on a television series. This was a conversation I started talking about in my first editorial. While the Flash is a very popular character in DC Comics lore and I’m sure many people can’t wait to see him depicted in live action (again, if you consider the few episodes in which Impulse appears on Smallville), he is far too important of a character to be relegated to television. In my vision of a Justice League film, which will be discussed further in another editorial, the Flash is one of the five core members.

Relegating the character to television means he will be portrayed by a television star (a minor one at that). Currently that’s Grant Gustin. While I will reserve judgment on how well he fits the role until I actually see the episodes on Arrow, he is simply too young and unknown to stand with the likes of Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Ryan Reynolds. Yes, part of my gripe with the actor is that he’s too young. Grant Gustin is 23 years old. Ben Affleck, who plays Batman, is 41; almost twice his age and almost old enough to play his father. Barry is supposed to be part of that first generation of superheroes. While I agree that Barry is probably usually seen as the youngest of the Justice League members, I still don’tt think there should be such a disparity in experience and age between the team members. Keep in mind that the more immature Flash personality is typically attributed to Wally, not Barry. I know this all very nit-picky and you guys can all bash me over the head with this overreaction, but I do care very much so about the age of the actors/characters. This is actually in line with my general disdain for casting anyone younger than their late twenties (younger than 27) in a superhero role. In my opinion, these actors are too inexperience to portray a reputable action hero. I can’t take them seriously. Teenage sidekicks are a different story. They’re meant to be young and I would have them as such.

Back to Gustin. I want to note that if this iteration of the Flash does appear in a Justice League film and the character is not recast, Gustin has three films worth of experience: an exercise video for kids, and a Lifetime television movie. He has a third film in post-production. Hardly the experience needed to stand out in an ensemble cast for a big budget film.

Another gripe I have with portraying the Flash in a television show (especially on CW) is that his power of superspeed relies solely on special effect. The low budget for television shows I feel will cheapen this. Now, the execs at CW said they’re exploring different options to bring his superspeed to life but if they go the route of Smallville, it’s going to be cheesy.

Now having spent several paragraphs talking about why the Flash should not be portrayed in a television series, I will note that these arguments may be moot. Arrow execs have stated that their version of the Green Arrow characters may not have any connections to the presumed DCCU. By extension, this Flash wouldn’t count either. If this is the case, I don’t really mind the Flash being in a television series although if the Flash does end up in a Justice League film played by a different actor it might confuse audiences. I also might be able to keep an open mind if the CW’s Flash was in canon with DCCU but explored Flash’s early days pre-costume superheroics or pre-Justice League (I would still want the character re-casted for a feature film).

Now that I’m done bashing Grant Gustin and CW’s planned series, let’s move on to the Flash feature film. I want to remind everybody that I do not envision the first Flash solo film to debut until after a Justice League film. This effectively makes the Flash a spin-off from the Justice League (the character does make his first feature film appearance in the Justice League movie). However, the events of this film may take place before the events of the Justice League (or not). While I personally have not settled on a tone and mood for the film, I do think that the film should showcase Allen’s skills as a forensic scientist. One thing I wish comic book movies (outside of Batman) did more often was illustrate how the heroes’ civilian day job helps him in his role as a superhero. This semi-focus on forensic science might give the Flash film somewhat of a procedural drama/darker tonality but because the Flash is such a light character, I think it will balance out pretty well.

When we are first introduced to the Flash (in his own solo film), I’m interested in seeing the character of Allen as a perceived slacker. He is constantly late to work and forgets things. This is due in part to his almost-maniacal obsession to find out the truth of his mother’s murder and acquitting his father which has plaque him all his life. He’s also not quite the light-hearted jokester we know him to be. Due to this particular characterization of Allen, I ultimately looked for an actor who could convey this slacker/obsessive personality. So without further ado, my fancast for Barry Allen is…

Garrett Hedlund as Barry Allen: I ultimately did want someone slightly younger than the other superheroes to play the Flash. However, because I dislike casting anyone younger than 27 or 28, Hedlund, at 29 years old, is the perfect age. Though he doesn’t physically look much like Allen, he is a great actor who has proven himself time and time again. He is also an actor with decent amount of exposure who won’t be overshadowed by the bigger names in the Justice League cast.
I want to honorably mention Chris Pine. He was Hedlund’s biggest contender for the role. However, Chris Pine seems too old, mature, and put together to portray the role I’ve been imagining. Personality-wise, he might be a better funnyman but ultimately chose Hedlund. My actual idea dream casting for Barry Allen is either a 5-years-younger Patrick Wilson or a 3-years-younger, funnier Ryan Gosling. Other considerations include Freddie Stroma and Wilson Bethel.

Of course, casting the Flash also means thinking about his love interest, Iris West. To be frank, I’m not sure how I feel about the whole “true love” sort of pairing between the two. Lois and Clark are so iconic it’s hard to see either of them with somebody else. I feel the same about Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (though decidedly less iconic). However, I don’t really feel Natalie Portman’s and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor have great chemistry and like the pairing the least probably of all current, in-canon CBMs couples. Captain America had Peggy but will move on to Sharon or Black Widow. Spider-man has Gwen Stacy but presumably will move onto MJ.

With this in mind, I don’t necessarily see Iris West as sort of the “true love” character. I do ultimately feel like the two can end up together but only at the very end of the film or even in a sequel and not the first film. I wouldn’t mind seeing a love triangle between Barry, Iris, and Patty Spivot with Spivot being the main object of affection for Barry for most of the first film. In any case, the following is my fancast for Iris West and Patty Spivot.

Rachel McAdams as Iris West: I believe she is a very popular choice. She is a great actress, spunky, and has great chemistry with most of her on-screen partners. I can’t really envision anybody else in the role. There were no other considerations.

Candice Accola as Patty Spivot: Because she is a supporting character to a lesser extent than Iris, I didn’t feel like a big star was needed. I was also looking for an actress who looks just as fun as McAdams. I didn’t want Patty to appear antagonistic and I didn’t want the audience to be forced to root for Iris in the love triangle. Candice Accola fits the bill. Other considerations include Sienna Miller and Imogen Poots.

Now back to the Flash. Or more specifically, his superpower origin. The classic tale details how lightning struck his office and spilled chemicals onto him. Thus he gained his superspeed. I’m not sure how willing the audience will buy that. It seems extremely old fashion. Also, lightning don’t miraculously strike into a building. Despite this, I think lightning should play a big part in the Flash’s origin. Maybe Barry is just walking home in a storm one day and is physically struck by lightning. Barry was hospitalized (presumed dead?) but miraculously survive to find his cells have been supercharged. The lightning could be mystical in nature if anyone prefers but doesn’t seem necessary. In this way, it’s a little less cheesy but still true to the nature of the comics (and would explain why he has a lightning bolt on chest).

There’s not much to say about Barry’s costume. It has remained relatively constant throughout its almost-60 years history. While I almost always advocate for an armor version of a superhero’s costume, Superman’s costume in Man of Steel has convinced me that skintight suits (given the right texture) can work so I’m not going to say anything here.

The last thing I want to discuss here, while we’re still on Barry Allen/the Flash is the extent of his power. For the purpose of the film, I am in favor of severely limiting his running speed. In my opinion, the max speed that Barry should be able to run at is Mach 33 (meaning, 33 times faster than the speed of sound). This gives him one hour to run around the world. (I envision the extent of Superman’s flying speed to be Mach 15 or so. No aircraft known to man can fly faster than Mach 10). While certain powers that comes with superspeed, such as phasing through solid objects will ultimately make Barry a more interesting character, I do not envision the Flash able to turn back time or run to other dimension. Anything faster than his max speed will result in him disintegrating into the Speed Force. If Barry could run at the speed of light, he would circle around the Earth several times in a second. That’s a bit too ridiculous.

I think it should be alluded to however, if Wally is ever introduced as a speedster, that he has the potential to run faster than Barry (and thus explore those other other-worldly dimensional powers).

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of Wally West’s Flash and would like him to appear in the Allen’s Flash film series. I do not, however, envision Wally having his own series. In Allen’s Flash series, Wally can either be a civilian teenager, costume teenager, or an iteration of either one of those guys except slightly older (I envision Wally debuting in the second installment of the series). For that purpose I’ve casted an older and younger version of Wally.

Zachary Gordon/Logan Lerman as Wally West – For the younger Wally, I was looking for someone who was actually a teenager yet wasn’t too young or too old. Gordon fits the bill and has displayed certain comedic skills in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also already has a slew of credits to his name. I’m sure he can be conditioned to be a better fit for the role. As you may be able to tell from my casting that Wally’s red-headed outward appearance isn’t too important to me.
In terms of the older Wally West, I don't really know anything about Callan McAuliffe except that by looking at his resume he seems to be a rising star of sorts. He's of the proper age and looks somewhat like Wally. I originally casted Logan Lerman only to realize that he fits another character (to be unveiled in another editorial) better. I only Lerman in the original version of this editorial only because I couldn't find somebody else at the time. I was looking for someone around McAuliffe's age because if Wally is Iris’ nephew, there needs to be at least a decent age difference between the two. McAuliffe is 18 and Adams is 35. Grant Gustin also gets honorable mention here. He definitely looks the part and like I said, I don’t know how he fits into the character of the Flash. Maybe he fits very well.

Wally, of course, has his own love interest: Linda Park. I think this a great opportunity to expand the racial ethnicity of the cast. Because Wally himself is a supporting character in this series, Linda will in effect, be a supporting character to a supporting character. All of the Asian actresses that I’ve been scoping out are significantly older than my Wally cast. This, I guess, is due in part to Asian actresses not having a lot of exposure in America.

Below, I am giving two actresses for the role. One is more recognizable but the other I feel will actually fit the role better:

Jamie Chung/Liu YiFei as Linda Park: Jamie Chung is one of the most well-known young Asian-American actress. She is actually Korean-American so she’s the correct ethnicity. However, she’s 30 years old already. Liu YiFei meanwhile is slightly younger but a native of China, which means her English is not as good as Jamie’s (she did study in New York City for a few years). She has appeared in one English film (The Forbidden Kingdom) and I’ve seen her in a few other Chinese films. I think she would be appropriate for the role.

I want to take a moment to discuss the roles of Iris West and Linda Park. In the comics, both are reporters of some sort (newspaper and television reporter respectively). I personally think these roles are too similar to Lois Lane’s occupation. I wouldn’t mind if Iris took over Linda’s role as a television reporter or even an anchor (McAdams played a related role in Morning Glory). The role I think is dissimilar enough to Lois’ reporting job. Because Linda, in this incarnation, is meant to be young and a second-rate supporting character, I envision her as just a student or intern somewhere.

To end this editorial/fancast, I’ve simply listed and casted the Flash’s Rogue gallery below and briefly explained my version of each character. Note: I do not believe any of these enemies except the Reverse-Flashes can carry a movie as its sole villain. Thus I did not feel big name actors were a fit for the role:

William Fichtner as Captain Cold: I’m interested in seeing Captain Cold as a more sympathetic figure. His villainy was brought about by the situation of his sister (either dead or hospitalize). Maybe he feels guilty because he had something to do with it. I kind of like having an older Captain Cold like the pre-DCnU but with metahuman powers like the current incarnation. I think Fichtner plays the bad guy pretty well.

Timothy Olyphant as Mirror Master: The character of the Mirror Master is pretty weak (in terms of background and power) but I think Timothy Olyphant can bring another level to the character. If anyone has ever seen him in Justified, you know he can really act.

Tahmoh Penikett as Heat Wave: I like the original costume for Heatwave pre-DCnU better but being a metahuman I think would make him a more imposing villain to the Flash. Like his comic counterpart, Heat Wave is a pyromaniac. Tahmoh Penikett seems to me the type of bad-ass guy who could be an imposing secondary villain to film.

Juan Diego Botto as Weather Wizard: In an effort to diversify the cast, I’ve decided to use the New 52 Latino version of Weather Wizard. I also think that this new version of Weather Wizard’s connection to the mafia could be used as a compelling subplot. Other consideration includes Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk.

Teri Polo as Golden Glider: I don’t envision the Lisa Snart to ever actually become the Golden Glider on film. Rather, I feel like her death or murder would ultimately be the driving force behind Captain Cold’s villainy. Or perhaps Cold could be seen as a more sympathetic villain if his sister wasn’t dead but in critical condition in the hospital. His villainess deed ultimately is used to fund a cure to save his sister. This is taking a page out of the Mr. Freeze playbook. Because the Golden Glider Lisa Snart) would ultimately have such a small role in the film, I didn’t bother to choose a big name actress to play her.

Guy Pearce as Eobard Thawne: Professor Zoom is indisputably, Allen’s greatest arch-enemies. His backstory in the comics is pretty ludicrous and I feel needs to be reinvented. I’m not entirely sure what it would be but I wouldn’t mind if he is actually a university science professor. I can totally see Pearce as such. Maybe he’s obsessed with alter-dimensions and consequently the Speed Force. Other considerations include Vincent Cassel and Ethan Hawke.

Joe Anderson as Hunter Zolomon: Zolomon is more so a Wally West villain so he might have a place in this franchise. Nonetheless, if he does appear, I envision him as a friend and brother-type figure to Wally; possibly a mentor. His backstory mirrors Allen’s remarkably and he is driven insane by either his father’s murder of his mother or the loss of his leg in a street incident. Anderson is a versatile actor who has the ability to play good guys and bad guys. Other considerations include Ben Foster and Ian Somerhalder.

Long as usual but I hope you guys enjoyed the read. Thanks and comment (respectfully of course) in the usual spot.

Up Next: Re-inventing Batman!