Ever since it was unveiled as part of the DC Extended Universe film announcement in late 2014, we’ve been waiting for The Flash movie to arrive, especially following Ezra Miller’s full debut as the Scarlet Speedster in Justice League. Well, after all these years, The Flash is finally gearing up to begin production, which also means casting news has been trickling in. Today brings word that the project has finally recruited its first new face, but there’s also been a departure from the cast.
Let’s start off with the good news. Maribel Verdú, known for movies like Y tu mamá también and Pan’s Labyrinth, has been cast in The Flash as Barry Allen’s mother, who will have a key role in the story. Now for the bad news. THR also mentioned in its writeup that Billy Crudup, who appeared as Barry’s father, Henry, in Justice League, has dropped out of The Flash due to scheduling conflicts with the new season of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
Billy Crudup’s connection to The Flash goes back to when he was first cast as Henry Allen as September 2016, a little over a year before Justice League came out. In October 2020, it was reported that he was in negotiations to rejoin the movie, but in the end, things didn’t work out. While there was no mention of recasting in the THR article, it’s a good bet that The Flash will find a new actor to play Henry Allen rather than simply drop the character altogether, especially given his current status in the DCEU.
That’s where Maribel Verdú’s role comes into play. Just like in the modern Flash comics and in the Arrowverse, Barry Allen’s mother, Nora Allen, was murdered in the DCEU when Barry was a boy. Henry Allen was convicted of the crime and has been in prison ever since. So Verdú’s presence in The Flash movie might initially seem like we’ll only see Nora through flashbacks, but let’s not forget that this cinematic tale is also taking elements from the 2011 storyline Flashpoint.
In that story, Barry Allen traveled back in time to prevent Nora Allen from being murdered by the true culprit, by Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash. Barry was successful, but the main DC timeline was drastically changed as a result. From what little we know so far about the Flash movie, time travel will factor into the narrative, as will alternate dimensions. So in addition to presumably seeing Nora Allen back when Barry was a kid, it’s also possible we could see Nora in a changed version of the present-day DCEU, or maybe Ezra Miller’s Barry will meet an alternate version version of Nora when he ends up in a different universe.
Whatever’s in store for Barry Allen’s mother in The Flash, Maribel Verdú is now the fifth cast member attached to the flick. It was reported earlier this week that Kiersey Clemons will reprise Iris West following her turn as the character in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Ben Affleck and Michael will return as their respective versions of Batman. With The Flash slated to start shooting in London towards the end of April, hopefully there’s more casting updates arriving in the coming weeks, including confirmation about whether Reverse-Flash is involved with this Flashpoint adaptation or not.
Assuming The Flash isn’t hit with more delays, you can expect the Fastest Man Alive’s solo feature to face into theaters on November 4, 2022. If you’re curious about what other DC cinematic tales are being lined up for the future, you’re welcome to look through our upcoming DC movies guide.
