Warner Bros. has finally lifted the veil on its massive list of DC Comics films in the pipeline, and along with it some surprising news -- the Flash has already been cast. If you were hoping for Grant Gustin, you are going to be disappointed.
It has been announced that Ezra Miller, previously seen in films like The Perks of Being A Wallflower and We Need To Talk About Kevin, will be playing the Flash in a stand-alone film coming in 2018, and will presumably appear in the Justice League film in 2017. Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa, as has been rumored for months, is now confirmed to be playing Aquaman. Ray Fisher will star as Cyborg in a 2020 stand-alone film. No other actors were named in the announcement.
Miller is an interesting choice to play the fastest man alive. He's known for more serious, darker roles, and while Zack Snyder's DC films do seem to lean more to the serious side, the Flash as a character is known for being a wise-cracking optimist with a heart of gold. It's not known if Miller will be portraying the Barry Allen or Wally West incarnation of the superhero, but regardless it should be much different from Miller's usual line of work.
This news comes just as CW's The Flash television show is off to a strong start with solid ratings and positive critical reception. While some fans may be disappointed that CW's Barry Allen in the form of Gustin won't be making his way to the big screen, it shouldn't come as a surprise. DC has repeatedly stated they are aiming to keep television and film separate. DC will likely be trying to avoid too many similarities between the two works, though the three year gap between the premiere of the show and the movie will put some distance between the two.
In the show, Allen is looking to uncover the mystery of his mother's murder, and it looks like the time-traveling Reverse-Flash, also known as Professor Zoom, is responsible for Allen's troubles. If that is the case, don't expect the villain to appear in Flash's big screen debut. There are plenty of other Flash villains to choose from, though adapting some of them to the super-serious, no-nonsense world of Zack Snyder's DC Universe may prove a challenge.
What's interesting is Miller will appear first in Justice League before getting his own film. As audiences will already be introduced to the character, it would be a strange choice for Warner Bros. and DC to push for a Flash origin film, but if Hollywood loves one thing, it is definitely a good origin story.
