The CW’s line-up is about to get a whole lot more super.
Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, the creators of the channel’s hit superhero action series Arrow, are planning to feature DC speedster The Flash on three episodes of Arrow‘s second season before moving him to his own series, entitled (duh) Flash.
Berlanti confirmed after a TCA panel that Flash will feature the Barry Allen incarnation of the character, who has “always been a favorite” of Berlanti, Kreisberg, and Arrow writer Geoff Johns, also set to work on Flash.
David Nutter, who directed the Arrow pilot, will also direct the pilot for Flash.
When viewers first see Allen, he will be an “ordinary man,” Berlanti told Deadline, “as grounded and realistic as possible. That’s how we’ll get to know him. Then his life will get a bit faster.”
Kreisberg explained his enthusiasm for Flash, saying that, “There’s something very relatable about Barry. He got his powers by accident, they just sort of came to him…He also isn’t a dark and tortured soul” comparable to Stephen Amell’s Arrow.
In response to queries as to how the realistic Arrow will deal with Allen’s superpowers, Berlanti said that his origin “won’t be treated as commonplace on the show but as extraordinary events.”
“It will be fun for the audience to see how we do our take on The Flash’s powers,” he added. “Some will feel very familiar to those who know the comics, and other stuff will feel different yet fresh and exciting.”
While The CW’s Green Arrow character uses only his physical prowess and own inventions to fight crime on Arrow, Barry Allen “does need powers to become The Flash,” said Berlanti. “And he will be The Flash. He will wear a red costume, and he will go by that name.”
No actor has yet been cast in the role, though Arrow‘s casting director David Rapoport is working on casting.
Kreisberg described plans for Flash as “fresh and new and exciting,” and announced his intention to “give people a real cinematic experience in TV the same way they’ve gotten it from Arrow.” The most important thing now, he added, is to “write a great script and find an amazing actor to play the part.”
Do you watch Arrow, and are you excited to see how its creators deal with a character whose origins are less grounded in reality? If you were in charge, who would you cast as the fast-talking superhero? Let the debate begin in the comment sections below!
