The Flash
Release Date: March 23, 2018
Who is the Flash?: Barry Allen is a forensic scientist that works for the Central City police department. While working late one night, a lightning bolt shattered a case of chemicals in Allen's office which then proceeded to spill all over him. The electrically infused chemicals is what gave Barry his super speed, reflexes and metabolism. The Flash uses his powers to defend the citizens of Central City, and is one of the original members of The Justice League as well as one of its most consistent members.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Why?: Time for some real talk. Ever since people went nuts for Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, the DC cinematic universe has decided to embrace a darker, grittier take on some of our heroes. Just watch Snyder's Man of Steel and count how many times anyone smiled. Now I am in no way saying dark and gritty is a thing to be frowned upon. Some of the best stories come from that edgier material. However, Superman was portrayed as very broody in his most recent movie and that is what scares me about The Flash. Despite his backstory of having lost his Mom when he was young, Barry is the farthest thing from being broody, or solemn. He is the type of hero who tosses witty banter and corny catchphrases around like it is going out of style. He is the type of guy who interacts openly with the citizens of his city, thus causing them to adore him to the point where they would build a museum in his honor. He reminds me a little bit of how Andrew Garfield's Spiderman holds himself when he is out and about solving crime (maybe not to such an extreme, but the basic gist of it). The tone of The Flash has got to be a bit lighter than usual in order to capture that and Greg Berlanti is the type of guy who can do that. Now you may be thinking to yourself "But Ryan, didn't that monster have a hand in producing the unforgivable, 2011 cinematic blunder known as The Green Lantern?". You would be correct in thinking that, but Greg Berlanti has also been a consistent writer and producer for one of our favorite shows: Arrow. Not to mention he has recently been doing some more writing/producing for a show alongside DC's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns. Which show? The Flash. By 2018, he will have had close to four years experience working with The Flash's stories, getting to really know the characters and how to do them justice. He is practically a director in extensive training for this project.
A small sampling of how the Flash is intended to behave:
Proposed Story: During our Wonder Woman editorial it was proposed by Christian that no origin stories should come of this DC movie slate and I could not agree more. The Flash is the movie that is on deck immediately following The Justice League Pt. 1. Although he has not been confirmed yet, it would shock me to no end if The Flash wasn't present at all during The Justice League's first film. So let's just assume he will be and then have a quick little nod to how he obtained his powers and be done with it so we can get to the good stuff. Therefore: After the events of The Justice League Pt. 1, Barry Allen looks into ways to increase his speed. He soon discovers that he utilizes a power source known as the "speed force" and learns that he can use it to not only use it to run faster, but also to augment his cognition. One day, as if out of the blue, an EMP blast blacks out Central City, causing crime to run rampant. However, Barry later realizes that it was himself who caused the problem due to his reckless use of the speed force causing inconsistencies in the time stream. Barry must deal with the weight of what he has done to his city, while also dealing with the vengeance of those he has wronged.
Inspired By: The plot I have in mind (as vague as it may have sounded) is essentially the one that is featured in the Move Forward storyline of The Flash's New 52 run. It is a great story when it comes to Barry slowly figuring out the full-extent of his powers, as well as the consequences of them. In the story, an EMP blast blacks out Central City and leaves its citizens in the dark. Later on in the story Barry tries to contain an explosion using his speed, but instead sends it back in time without realizing it, meaning that he sent the EMP blast that doomed Central City to darkness. The effects of this also cause Leonard Snart to lose his sister, which causes him to go after the Flash in a crazed frenzy. The movie obviously wouldn't be frame-for-frame the same but it could definitely draw heavily from this story arch.
Lead Characters (Cast): By following the Move Forward storyline, The Flash will feature some names that are probably not well known to most so I'll give a little explanation about the character as I go and how they would pertain to the plot.
1. Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller)
Why?: The Flash is steadily taking the DC television universe by storm and come 3-4 years from now he will get his shot at the big leagues. Ezra Miller is the only confirmed actor associated with the project thus far and I am deeply unimpressed. There is no reason for me to believe that Miller has got what it takes to portray The Fastest Man Alive based on his past work. However, I remember a time when I was not overly impressed with Grant Gustin either, and now I am all for his Barry Allen. All I can say now is prove me wrong Ezra. For the love of Christ just prove me wrong.
2. Dr. Darwin Elias (Chris Messina)
Why?: Dr. Elias is the person who acts as a confidante to The Flash and he also helps perform tests to discover how Barry can maximize his powers. In Move Forward, he is essentially the one who tells Barry about the speed force. He is pretty new territory with not a whole lot of expectations about him so I trust Messina could make the character his own.
3. Roscoe Hynes/Turbine (David Oyelowo)
Why?: Roscoe Hynes is a Tuskegee Airman from WWII who got sucked into the speed force during a test flight. When the Flash goes to the Speed Force dimension he meets Turbine and ends up bringing him back with him. Turbine has potential to be either friend or foe depending on how they want to use him. Turbine is similar to Dr. Elias
Villans: The Rogues
1. Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Gabriel Macht)
Why?: Captain Cold is the main person that is out to get The Flash in this story line. The blackout that the Flash causes keeps his sister from getting the care she needs and she passes away. The other Rouges are not really included in the this arch, but it would be easy to switch things around a bit and get them all in there. A while ago our own Dan Lee wrote a fan cast for Captain Cold featuring Gabriel Macht and it was explains the choice very well. Check it our here: Dan's FanCast Friday.
2. Mark Mardon/Weather Wizard (Taylor Kitsch)
Why?: Another member of the Rouges who could be worked onto the team and into the story. Taylor Kitsch has superhero movie experience under his belt playing Gambit. Weather Wizard is a character that seems right up his ally.
3. Mick Rory/Heatwave (Vinnie Jones)
Why?: Because bring back the Juggernaut bitch, that's why. Another experienced superhero actor who could be fun to watch as Heatwave.
4. George Harkness/ Captain Boomerang (Tom Hardy)
Why?: Earlier this week, Christian cast Captain Boomerang for the Suicide Squad. Let's get some continuity going between these two movies by having Captain Boomerang also be a member of the Rouges.
Thanks for reading the editorial! You probably may have noticed I didn't say anything about Eobard Thawne. Although he is all I talk about when it comes to The Flash TV show, I decided to go a different route this time for two reasons. A) I think the New 52 Flash stories have been pretty good so far and would do well on the silver screen if done right and B) if there were to be a live action Professor Zoom, I would want it to be done Flashpoint Paradox style, which I know is way, way too much to ask for in The Flash's first movie. At that point it is practically another Justice League movie that just happens to focus a little more on The Flash. Anyways feel free to share your thoughts on anything having to do with The Flash coming out March of 2018!
The 12 days of Editorials continues tomorrow with a write-up on Aquaman! Be sure to check back here then to see it for yourself! And read our first 3 articles on the DCCU by clicking the links below.
I like the use of the Move Foawrd storyline. The Rogues make the most sense to appear first. I'm not sure audiences would be keen on Grodd or Zoom to start off a franchise, but introducing Barry's infamous villain team early allows them to all reappear at any time throughout the Flash films (hopefully there will be more than one). Great write up, Ryan!
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