The Flash TV pilot starring Grant Gustin is filming this week. Cast and crew have been posting bits of props and sets, and behind-the-scenes shots, while bystanders have been posting photos of cast in their off-camera moments.
Also: Detective West (Iris’ father in this continuity) now has a first name, Joe.
Here’s a round-up of photos and comments I’ve found on social media. Continue reading
DC Comics has released this first look at Grant Gustin in the Flash mask for the TV series pilot, which begins filming any day now.
The costume for The Flash was designed by three-time Oscar® winner Colleen Atwood, who also designed the costume for Arrow and whose motion picture credits include Academy Awards® for her work on Alice in Wonderland, Memoirs of a Geisha and Chicago, as well as seven additional Oscar® nominations for films such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Sleepy Hollow.
What do you think? There’s a definite New 52 resemblance with the chin strap and visible seams (thankfully without the bright yellow piping). I find it interesting that they went with lightning bolts rather than wings for the earpieces (personally I prefer wings on Barry Allen and lightning bolts on Wally West, but that’s just me) and what appears to be a flat look on them…not unlike the movie version of another famous superhero with wings on his ears, Captain America. I wonder if it’s a fashion trend in costume designers, or if it’s one of those things that doesn’t quite translate from drawing to something that a person actually wears?
IMDB is now listing actor Al Sapienza as playing Central City detective Fred Chyre. Presumably he’ll be a police force colleague of Barry Allen, and it’ll be interesting to see a character from the Wally West era melded into Barry’s supporting cast. It seems likely that Barry’s day job will be a major part of the series, based on the number of police-related characters in the cast (Detective West, Eddie Thawne, and now Chyre).
Sapienza is in his early 50s and is a good physical match to play Chyre. He has a long filmography (including a role in The Sopranos) and is clearly an experienced actor. He should be a good addition to the show’s cast, which is filling out nicely. The pilot begins filming next week.
Deadline reports that Michelle Harrison has been cast as Nora Allen, Barry Allen’s mother. We learned in Barry’s Arrow appearances that the show picks up on the post-Rebirth* and New 52 history, in which she was killed during his childhood, and his father was falsely accused and imprisoned for the murder. (In fact, the show hinted that, as in the comics, the Reverse Flash is her real killer.) So we’ll be seeing her in flashbacks.
The pilot for The Flash starts shooting early next month.
*In the original Silver Age and Bronze Age comics, Nora and Henry Allen were still alive throughout Barry Allen’s superhero career. Flash: Rebirth involved the Reverse-Flash changing history.
Canadian actor Chad Rook has been added to the cast of The Flash TV pilot. IMDB lists him as playing “Clyde”. This is interesting, because that’s the name of Weather Wizard’s dead brother, the one who actually invented the weather wand. Even more interesting, Rook stated at his Twitter and Facebook accounts on February 15th that “a storm is brewing ;)”, which does seem to imply a connection with Weather Wizard.
However, as of yet we still don’t know if he will actually play Clyde Mardon, and what his role would be if he does. In the comics Clyde had a very small role because he was introduced as a dead man, but there’s no reason the television series has to do it that way — and in the Superman Animated Series, Clyde remained alive (albeit renamed as ‘Ben’). I do think it’s interesting that Clyde has apparently been cast before Mark Mardon, and am tempted to speculate that Clyde will either have a recurring role or that perhaps Weather Wizard might be renamed as Clyde. Chad Rook did say on his Facebook page on February 11th that he’d just gotten the biggest booking of his career, but it’s entirely possible he was referring to another project. If you look at his personal site and IMDB page, he has several projects on the go. So it’s difficult to say as of yet, and this is just speculation.
This is one of the first hints at a Rogue in the TV series. How do you want the show to handle the Rogues and their supporting cast?
In a surprise announcement, the CW has cast John Wesley Shipp, who played Barry Allen in the 1990 Flash TV series, in the pilot for the new series starring Grant Gustin. Producers are keeping quiet about his role, though if the series is picked up, it’ll be a recurring one.
Fans of the old series have been hoping to get Shipp into the new series at some point, though I don’t think any of us expected him to appear in the first episode. I think it would be great if he played Jay Garrick, but it seems a bit early to introduce another speedster (especially with “Eddie” Thawne already on board). Alternatively, he might be playing Barry’s father, Henry Allen, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for the murder of his wife.
Photo: John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen back in the 1990-1991 TV show.