We'll get our first true taste of the Flash when the character stars in Justice League next year, but he's also got his own solo movie to look forward to. Rumors about The Flash movie have been swirling since Ezra Miller was first revealed as the speedster, and so far only a few people have been cast in the film. The latest is Billy Crudup, who will play Barry Allen's father, Henry Allen. According to an old MTV interview, this casting might have been in the works for a while.
This MTV interview is dated all the way back in January of 2015, and Ezra Miller had only recently been cast as the Fastest Man Alive. Miller, Billy Crudup, and Michael Angarano were doing an interview together for what looks like 2015's The Stanford Prison Experiment, the only movie that has all three men in it. The interviewer asked Miller how he was cast as the superhero, when Crudup cut in with his own question.
More importantly, is there a part for like, let's say a guy who plays mid to late forties?
We can now be sure that there was a part exactly like that in the form of Henry Allen. While we don't know if Billy Crudup was campaigning behind-the-scenes or if he was recommended for the part by Ezra Miller, it's still pretty funny that he ended up in the movie after seemingly joking on air about it. Crudup is no stranger to superhero films, having played Dr. Manhattan in the divisive adaptation of Watchmen. That film was directed by Zack Synder, who is also pretty deeply involved in the DCEU. With Snyder and Miller, Billy Crudup had two good connections to get his foot in the door; it shouldn't be a big surprise he ended up with the role.
Henry Allen is the father of Barry Allen and - like most parents in DC comics - is a major inspiration for his son to wear a costume. As fans of The Flash TV show know, Henry was falsely accused of murdering his wife when Barry was a child, resulting in being sentenced to life sentence in prison. Hoping to clear his father's name, Barry swore to bring the real killer to justice, influencing him to become a forensic scientist and eventually a superhero. Expect at least a few scenes in the movie of Barry visiting his dad in prison and/or flashbacks.
Joining Ezra Miller and Billy Crudup in the cast is Kiersey Clemons as Isis West and Ray Fisher reprising his role as Cyborg from Justice League. The plot is still being kept under wraps, but it's said to be a team-up movie akin to Thor and Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. The Flash is directed by Rick Famuyiwa with a screenplay from Seth Grahame-Smith.
The Flash is currently scheduled to release in theaters on March 16, 2018.
