Flash (CW)

[BatmAngelus]

Opening this up, since it looks like this is a done deal.

The showrunners of Arrow, along with Geoff Johns, are developing a Flash show to spin off from Arrow, using the Barry Allen Flash.  This was announced today and the Hollywood Reporter got more details:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/flash-writers-preview-cws-newest-595705

Barry Allen, the alter ego of the lightning-fast Scarlet Speedster, will be introduced in the eighth, ninth and 20th episodes of Arrow's upcoming second season, Kreisberg and Johns told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon conference call. Casting is now underway to find an actor to play the DC Comics hero in what will be an origin story similar to Oliver Queen/Arrow. The 20th episode will serve as the backdoor pilot for Flash. All three Barry Allen episodes will be penned by Berlanti, Kreisberg and Johns.

"When we first meet Barry Allen, he's just a forensic scientist ... an ordinary man," Kreisberg said, stressing the character, like Amell's vigilante, will be grounded in reality and as realistic as possible. The first two episodes will see the character in Oliver's home of Starling City, with the 20th providing a window to see Barry in The Flash's world.
"Part of the fun for the audience ... is to see how we view our Arrow take on the Flash legacy," Kreisberg said. "Some of it will feel very familiar to DC Comics, some of it hopefully will feel different, fresh and exciting. The same way we approached Arrow is the same way we're approaching Barry."

One of the things that grounds CW's Arrow is the fact that the series isn't about individuals with superpowers -- with The Flash a clear violation of that. Producers noted that they'll handle the introduction of Barry's superspeed in a way that isn't commonplace. "There will be extraordinary events in the world and the characters will react in the same way," Kreisberg noted.

"The fact he has superpowers, there's something more relatable about Barry among the Big Seven of the Justice League," he added. "He got his powers by accident; he's not a god, he's not an alien ... his reactions to that feel very ... human and grounded."

Since Flash is a backdoor pilot episode of Arrow, the character will mix it up with Oliver -- providing a stark contrast between the two heroes.

"Oliver Queen is a very dark and tortured soul, and Barry is not," Kreisberg said, noting he will have a profound impact on Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. "He's a great character who is going to affect all of our characters' lives. It will be fun ... to see these two characters together because they have two different worlds."

Added Johns: "We're also exploring a very personal story for Barry -- life as a forensic scientist and the people around him, the tragedies and how he deals with them -- in a very different way than Oliver Queen. The intention, they noted, will be to add to Arrow instead of stripping away characters from the series should the spinoff move forward, meaning it's likely the residents of Starling City will remain there.

Johns reiterated that the Justice League member will be seen as The Flash -- complete with his trademark red costume and not a poor imitation. Added Kreisberg: "No sweat suits or strange code names; he will be The Flash."

Producers haven't yet figured out how they plan to depict the Flash's lightning speed but Johns insisted it won't just be the standard "blurring around."

"It's not what people expect," Kreisberg said. "We want to do something fresh, new and exciting and give people a real cinematic experience the same way we did with Arrow."

As for casting, Kreisberg would only note that the process -- which will be overseen by the same casting director who handles Arrow -- has now begun. "Blonds will be preferred," he joked. 

While the response to Arrow has been mixed here at Batman Online, there are a bunch of tidbits here that I think will make people happy.  It looks like the Barry Allen Flash:
- will definitely have superpowers (which means that Arrow may actually evolve from an initially realistic take to a more comic book-fantastical world)
- will have the moniker "The Flash."  Sure, the show doesn't have the "The" in the title, but it's a hell of a lot closer than taking the Green out of Green Arrow or calling Wonder Woman "Amazon"
- will be a more lighthearted individual from the Bruce Wayne-ized Oliver Queen in the TV show
- will have the red and yellow suit!

[Paul (ral)]

What is DC Entertainment's game? Are they creating a cinematic DCU or a TV DCU? Will both be connected? Is Cavill going to show up in Season 3 of Arrow?

Marvel is creating films for Ant Man, Dr Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy...DCE is giving Flash a cameo in a TV series....

[thecolorsblend]

Agreed. I can't really get too excited about a potential TV show as it may come at the expense of the Flash on the big screen.

[riddler]

I'm excited for it; i kind of feel comics translate better to TV than the movies anyhow due to the ongoing plotlines.

I'm thinking no superman yet; they seem to want to tackle the lesser known heroes (hence why it was GA and not batman). Aquaman or Cyborg are probably up next after Flash.

[johnnygobbs]

Agreed. I can't really get too excited about a potential TV show as it may come at the expense of the Flash on the big screen.

I entirely agree.  I want a decent big-screen version of these characters, not another relatively low-budget, teen-orientated, over-compromised, poorly-lighted and blandly (slo-mo) choreographed CW show full of second-raters and b-list actors.  These shows all look the same and lack the personality and distinctiveness of the various big-screen incarnations.

Like Ral says, what is DC doing?  They seem to lack any ambition for their characters.  I would have thought the commercial success of MOS would have encouraged them to put out more JLA-orientated movies.

[The Dark Knight]

What is DC Entertainment's game? Are they creating a cinematic DCU or a TV DCU? Will both be connected? Is Cavill going to show up in Season 3 of Arrow?

Marvel is creating films for Ant Man, Dr Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy...DCE is giving Flash a cameo in a TV series....

Yep. I love Bat and Supe, but everything else, Marvel takes the cake.

[Silver Nemesis]

I'm excited for it; i kind of feel comics translate better to TV than the movies anyhow due to the ongoing plotlines. I'm excited for it; i kind of feel comics translate better to TV than the movies anyhow due to the ongoing plotlines.

I agree.

These shows all look the same and lack the personality and distinctiveness of the various big-screen incarnations.

Unfortunately I also agree with this. But a few quotes from the article BatmAngelus linked have given me hope.

"Oliver Queen is a very dark and tortured soul, and Barry is not,"

Johns reiterated that the Justice League member will be seen as The Flash -- complete with his trademark red costume and not a poor imitation. Added Kreisberg: "No sweat suits or strange code names; he will be The Flash."

The hints about "tragedy" make me thing they'll use Johns' The Flash: Rebirth (2009-2010) as a starting point. And if that's the case then we'll probably get to see Professor Zoom make an appearance too. 

There was a time when TV producers had the balls to make full on live-action superhero shows. And some of those shows helped define those characters in the public eye every bit as much as a movie would have done. I'm thinking of classic shows like:

•   Adventures of Superman (1952-1958)
•   Batman (1966-1968)
•   Wonder Woman (1975-1979)
•   The Incredible Hulk (1978-1982)
•   The Flash (1990-1991)
•   Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997)

These shows would never get made nowadays. Instead we have to make do with unimaginative plainclothes superhero shows like Mutant X, Birds of Prey, Heroes and the upcoming Amazon. And yet I'll bet fifty years from now fans will still be watching George Reeves as Superman and Bill Bixby as the Hulk when shows like Birds of Prey have long been forgotten.

I'm hoping, perhaps unrealistically, that this new series of The Flash will be the one to break the mould. Maybe we'll finally get a new all out superhero show that embraces its comic book heritage. Maybe we'll get to see all the classic rogues in live action; not as ordinary people in leather jackets and hoodies, but as costume-wearing super villains unlike anything you'd see elsewhere on television.

DC had a very successful shared universe with its animated television shows back in the nineties and noughties. Then Marvel came along and pwned them at the box office with its shared universe of live action movies. I believe Fox is now planning to establish its own shared universe using Wolverine and the X-Men as a starting point and adding the Fantastic Four and Deadpool into the mix.

DC will never catch up for the simple reason that they're reluctant to have more than one film in production at any time. They really need to give each hero his or her own movie, but they lack the confidence to do that. Instead they're giving us Man of Steel – World's Finest – Justice League. Which is fine, but the other heroes need to be given a chance to shine too. And perhaps TV is the medium in which to do that. Why not do what Marvel isn't doing and establish a shared universe across several different TV shows? Why not take the successful formula of the DC animated universe and recreate it in live action?

Perhaps this new show will mark the beginning of a new era for superheroes on TV. Then again, maybe it'll just be another bland CW teen drama that never aspires to fulfil the potential of the source material. We'll just have to wait and see. But for now at least, I'm cautiously optimistic.

[thecolorsblend]

DC had a very successful shared universe with its animated television shows back in the nineties and noughties. Then Marvel came along and pwned them at the box office with its shared universe of live action movies. I believe Fox is now planning to establish its own shared universe using Wolverine and the X-Men as a starting point and adding the Fantastic Four and Deadpool into the mix.

I thought FF had reverted back to Marvel.

DC will never catch up for the simple reason that they're reluctant to have more than one film in production at any time. They really need to give each hero his or her own movie, but they lack the confidence to do that. Instead they're giving us Man of Steel – World's Finest – Justice League. Which is fine, but the other heroes need to be given a chance to shine too. And perhaps TV is the medium in which to do that. Why not do what Marvel isn't doing and establish a shared universe across several different TV shows? Why not take the successful formula of the DC animated universe and recreate it in live action?

I'm willing to cut WB a lot of slack. They wanted a shared universe but had nothing but bad luck. Batman (played by Keaton according to rumors) would've made a cameo in the Burton Superman movie but that obviously never happened. They tried again with BvS back in 2000 but fans threw a fit over it. After that, Nolan took over the Batman franchise and a team-up was off the table because God forbid he follow orders.

Now they have a chance to do the shared universe they wanted to do... and fans are once again grousing about it. But if they follow Marvel's formula too closely, they'll be accused of being copycats. I think doing MOS, WF and presumably Justice League of America out of which other heroes can be spun is the right move to make.

Something else, my opinion of fandom has really deteriorated over the years. Smallville was undoubtedly a shared universe but a lot of fans uniformly complained each time other characters had guest appearances on the show. I'm to the point where I don't trust what any other fan ever says until/unless they establish true credibility somehow. That sounds snobby and elitist, and maybe it is, but that's where I'm at with fandom these days.

Perhaps this new show will mark the beginning of a new era for superheroes on TV. Then again, maybe it'll just be another bland CW teen drama that never aspires to fulfil the potential of the source material. We'll just have to wait and see. But for now at least, I'm cautiously optimistic.

I deleted your other remarks about TV shows but I agree that they're the better vehicle for superheroes and comic book stories in many cases. Unfortunately, feature film is now inseparably linked with credibility. A lot of fans (more than you may think) look down their noses at TV. In some ways I understand but in other ways it's not open to argument that an episodic format like TV is fundamentally a better medium for superheroes. The jury's in on this.

[Silver Nemesis]

I thought FF had reverted back to Marvel.

Fox lost the rights to Daredevil and Ghostrider last year, but they've still got the Fantastic Four. Josh Trank is writing and directing the new movie, and supposedly Michael B. Jordan is in line to play Johnny Storm. Fox also hired Mark Millar to act as a creative consultant on all their upcoming superhero films, including X-Men: Days of Future Past and Fantastic Four. According to Millar these will both take place within the same universe.

Fox is also trying to get the Deadpool movie off the ground, though that seems to be stuck in development hell at the moment. There's some uncertainty about the character of Quicksilver too. Fox want him in one of their films, but apparently Marvel want him in the next Avengers flick. Which is all the more reason for Warner Bros to get moving with the Flash.

Smallville was undoubtedly a shared universe but a lot of fans uniformly complained each time other characters had guest appearances on the show.

True. The Absolute Justice episode is the closest thing we've got to a real Justice League movie so far (not counting that dreadful TV movie from 1997). And the fact they did such a good job with the costumes, particularly Dr. Fate's, should prove that comic book iconography can be translated into live action on a TV budget.

While we're on the subject of Smallville, do you remember that episode where they showed all the villains sitting around a table together?



That's exactly what I want Captain Cold to look like in the new Flash series. No redesigned "practical" outfits. Just pure comic book awesomeness. Black Manta looks great there too.

In some ways I understand but in other ways it's not open to argument that an episodic format like TV is fundamentally a better medium for superheroes. The jury's in on this.

If you don't like the villain in the latest Batman movie then you have to wait another three years for the next one. But if you don't like the villain in a TV episode then you only have to wait one week. Story arcs, teasers, cliff-hanger endings – these dramatic devices all function better in episodic format than in feature films. I also think mystery/detective narratives are better suited to television than film.

The only area where TV shows fall short is special effects. But provided the costumes, acting and writing are good, I'd happily forgo good special effects if it meant I could see these characters on TV every week. But that's just me. Everyone has different priorities about these things.

Sadly superhero TV shows currently have the same stigma about them that superhero films did before Raimi's Spider-Man came out. And the only way that's going to change is if someone has the guts to make an all out comic book show that can find an audience. Not superheroes diluted to fit into our reality, but superheroes taking flight in their own world.

[BatmAngelus]

The hints about "tragedy" make me thing they'll use Johns' The Flash: Rebirth (2009-2010) as a starting point. And if that's the case then we'll probably get to see Professor Zoom make an appearance too.

TV Line's latest report seems to indicate that you're right about them using Johns' Flash: Rebirth backstory, which only makes sense since Johns himself is involved with the writing:

http://tvline.com/2013/08/01/ncis-new-girl-glee-castle-the-flash-spoilers/