While Grant Gustin proudly plays The Flash/Barry Allen in The CW’s TV series and with fans still grumbling about the fact Ezra Miller will play him on the big screen following on from his almost blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Suicide Squad, news of his father Henry Allen’s casting in the movie appears to have gone down rather well.
So which lucky actor has snagged the role, I hear you ask? According to Variety, none other than Billy Crudup.
If you watch the TV show, you’ll be well aware that Henry Allen is a pivotal part of his son Barry’s development, both as an everyday guy and as Central City’s hero, despite being locked up for a murder he didn’t commit. Therefore, bringing him to the big screen, particularly following on from John Wesley Shipp’s superb portrayal of him, is no easy feat, but Crudup is sure to take it in his stride.
Shipp responded to news of Crudup’s casting with the following tweet:
@markymarc70 @Variety @krolljvar Billy Crudup is AWESOME actor. Love this choice. Can't wait to see their take on it. Thank you Marc!
— John Wesley Shipp (@JohnWesleyShipp) September 10, 2016
Crudup has already amassed an impressive list of acting credits including Big Fish and Almost Famous. He also played Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen. He’ll also star in TV series Gypsy and be back on the big screen in Alien: Covenant next year.
No details have yet been released regarding the plot of the movie, although Miller, perhaps best known for his break-out star turn in the big screen adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s book We Need To Talk About Kevin — is set to make another appearance as The Flash in the upcoming Justice League movie alongside Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman.
If Crudup’s casting is officially confirmed, then he’ll join Miller and Kiersey Clemons, who’ll play Iris West, in the film, which is scheduled to be released in 2018.