The DC Cinematic Universe is a strange beast, at the moment. While Zack Snyder tries to prepare a movie audience for the arrival of The Justice League, members of that group are thriving on television screens across the nation on a weekly basis. Will there be brand confusion when it comes to a character like The Flash once DC and Warner Bros. try to roll out a Flash movie that’s separate from the TV show? One member of that exclusive community sure thinks crossover should be happening, and soon.
Stephen Amell plays Arrow on The CW show of the same name. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Amell stood up for his CW colleague, Grant Gustin, who plays Flash on the new television program. It recently was announced that We Need To Talk About Kevin star Ezra Miller would play the Flash in DC’s feature film version of the superhero (due in theaters in 2018). And Amell kind of thinks that’s bullshit. When asked if he thinks he should be playing Green Arrow in an upcoming DC movie, Amell candidly said:
Yeah. Of course. And I feel like it should be Grant [Gustin] doing the movie."
Nice. Take a bold stance, and put it on the record, Stephen Amell. I admire that. Because stepping back and looking at the big picture, I don’t necessarily understand why The Flash would want to spend time carving out an identity (and earning excellent ratings) on a television program, only to pass the baton to a newcomer in a 2018 movie that has no connection to the universe fans already are responding to. It’s not like Gotham, which takes place in a different era than the Christopher Nolan Batman movies. And it’s not like Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which feeds off of the action in the MCU and currently is educating TV audiences on the dangers of HYDRA.
Stephen Amell doesn’t completely bite the hand that feeds, though. In his same comment, he clarifies that there are ways to make sure that Ezra Miller and Grant Gustin BOTH get a shot to run fast as The Flash, stating:
The important thing to remember is just because Grant Gustin plays the part of Barry Allen doesn’t mean Ezra Miller can’t also play Barry Allen. There can be different interpretations of the character. Anyone who is a fan of the comics knows the Flash character is one of the forces that leads to parallel universes. And who knows? They might find a fantastic actor to play Oliver Queen on the feature side who has a different take on the character. I’m certainly a departure from the typical Oliver Queen from the comic books. I just think that everybody needs to be patient with the whole thing. The fact that DC and Warner have announced all these comic book features is nothing but good for business."
And there he goes. Right back into the corporate pocket, willing to play nice for the benefit of his hit TV show. What do you think? Should the TV Flash be the Movie Flash, as well? Share your thoughts below.
