Connect with us

News

The Many Faces Of… The Flash

Russ Dimino looks at the many actors who have played The Flash

Published

on

2 of 3
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse

john-wesley-shippThe next time around the Flash was taken a little more seriously, and finally got the spotlight all to himself instead of sharing it with other heroes. The TV series “The Flash” ran on CBS from 1990 – 91 and starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash. The series owed much in its style and tone to Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” movie, right down to its Danny Elfman theme music. Several of Flash’s comic book rogues showed up in the series, such as David Cassidy (Katie Cassidy!) as the Mirror Master and Mark Hamill as the Trickster. Original “Flash” stars John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays are expected to show up in the new series.

FLashCBS2In 1997, the Flash once again found himself alongside other superheroes in a pilot for a live-action “Justice League of America” series. This pilot featured Kenny Johnston as the Flash. Green Lantern, The Atom, Martian Manhunter, and Fire and Ice rounded out the team. The pilot was not well received, never aired in the US, and a series never followed.

In that same year, the Flash made a guest appearance on “Superman: The Animated Series,” in the episode “Speed Demons.” In this episode Superman and the Flash take part in a race around the world for charity. Charlie Schlatter voiced Flash, and though it is not specifically stated in the episode, this is the Wally West version of the character, marking the first time Wally had appeared as the Flash on TV. Schlatter played Ferris Bueller in the short-lived “Ferris Bueller” TV series, based on the popular Matthew Broderick movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Wally_West_JLU-2Four years later, in 2001, The Flash sped over to Cartoon Network to join the animated “Justice League.” This version united the Flash with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. The series would later be re-branded “Justice League Unlimited,” and expand its roster to include dozens upon dozens of heroes. The Flash’s voice in both versions of the show was provided by Michael Rosenbaum, well-known for his role as another DC comics character, Lex Luthor on “Smallville.” (The “Justice League” writers even had a bit of fun with this fact. In the episode “The Great Brain Robbery” Flash and Lex Luthor temporarily switch bodies, so Rosenbaum was essentially voicing Lex Luthor for an episode of “Justice League.”) Rosenbaum also provided the voice of Kid Flash when he made a couple of appearances on the animated series “Teen Titans.”

In late 2003 the WB considered picking up a live-action series about a young Flash, similar in style to “Smallville.” The proposed series would have had a “no costume” approach, similar to the “no tights, no flights” rule on “Smallville.” This version of the character was intended to live in Gotham City (Batman’s hometown!), and his powers would have enabled him to run fast enough to travel through time. The WB ultimately passed on the show.

impulse_288x288The Flash did make his way to the WB in another form however, during the fourth season of “Smallville.” The episode “Run” featured a guest appearance by the future Flash, Bart Allen. Bart was portrayed as an impulsive (pun intended) teen who lived on the streets and used his super speed to pick pockets until he met Clark Kent. Inspired to use his powers for good, Bart suggested that maybe he and Clark could “form a club or a league” with other super powered individuals. “Run” features a nod to other incarnations of the Flash as well; the fake IDs that Bart uses sport the names Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West. Bart appears in several other episodes over the course of the series, most notably the sixth season episode “Justice” that features Bart, Clark, Oliver (Green Arrow), A.C. (Aquaman) and Victor (Cyborg) forming an early version of the Justice League. Bart was played by Kyle Gallner, whose other credits include roles on “CSI: NY” and “The Shield.”

images-22In the ninth season of “Smallville,” the two-hour long episode “Absolute Justice” involved Clark and Chloe discovering the existence of a prior super team known as the Justice Society of America. One of the members of the JSA was Jay Garrick, played by Billy Mitchell. The winged helmet that was a trademark of the Golden Age Flash can be seen in this episode, and Jay is shown in flashback.

One more page! Navigate below for more:

2 of 3
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: The Many Faces Of… The Flash | Live TV Series Blogs

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Flash Missing: Vanishes In Crisis, April 25, 2024

The “Flash Missing: Vanishes in Crisis” headline in the Flash TV series pilot was dated April 25, 2024.

Published

on

While events of the series would ultimately speed up the timeline, Flash fans surely remember the final moments of the pilot episode of the Grant Gustin-led series where we see a Central City Citizen newspaper graphic announcing “Flash Missing, Vanishes In Crisis.” The date of that article? April 25, 2024.

Which happens to be… today.

When The Flash premiered in 2014, one might have expected that April 25, 2024 might be the right time for the final episode of a 10-year run… of course, as we saw, the Crisis happened a few years earlier, The Flash ended in 2023 instead, and it all might have been a good thing, considering how strikes and pandemics got in the show’s way. Still, it’s fun to think about, and it’s fun to remember that fantastic rush we had after the end of watching such an excellent premiere. And hey – not only did we get nine seasons of the show, but we also had a bad Flash movie that the series was far superior to, even in its worst moments. Win-win!

Ride the lightning, everyone.

Continue Reading

News

The John Wesley Shipp Flash 1990 Series Blu-ray Release Announced!

The Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp is coming to Blu-ray on June 14.

Published

on

Some very exciting news came today courtesy of the Warner Archive… the 1990 Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp is coming to Blu-ray!

The six-disc set is expected to release on June 14 from the Warner Archive Collection and it will contain the entire first season with new 2024 1080p HD masters from 4K scans of the original camera negatives. Here’s how the set is described; the box art can be seen below. Currently, a pre-order link is not yet up for the set, but keep your eyes open! Hopefully, this means we’ll get remasters on other classic series in the future.

Who-o-o-o-osh! The origins and exploits of the crimefighting DC Comics superhero come your way in this 22-episode live-action series, from the 1990-91 television season. John Wesley Shipp portrays Barry Allen, a police crime technologist endowed with sudden talents after a fluke lab accident. He pledges to use his new powers for good, powers that include ultra-speed reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly he can pass through solid walls. Amanda Pays is medical researcher Tina McGee, who monitors Allen’s accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Tricksters, Captain Cold, the Ghost, mad inventors: Central City is rife with criminals. Now there’s a hero to keep pace with them. He’s called The Flash. And in our era of instant communications, he’s more in step with the times than ever.

Continue Reading

News

Virtue: The CW Developing Cecile-Focused Flash Spinoff [APRIL FOOL 2024]

The CW is plotting a spinoff for a major character from The Flash.

Published

on

DISCLAIMER: This was the FlashTVNews April Fool’s post of 2024. The “news” in this article is not true or factual.

The seal has been broken and Earth-Prime may not be dead after all.

Late tonight, Deadline Weekly revealed that Warner Bros. Television and writers associated with The Flash have landed a deal for Virtue, a series focused on the Cecile character from The Flash as played by Danielle Nicolet. Nicolet is expected to reprise her role in the series, which will take place several years after the events of the Flash finale.

Jesse L. Martin is not expected to be a part of the series as he has prior commitments to The Irrational on NBC. Intel from the studio reveals that some characters fans have been itching to see again — such as Chester, Allegra, Khione, Chillblaine, and Arrow’s Raisa the Maid — might show up in some capacity. In keeping with the current CW lineup, the new show will pair Cecile Horton with a cop to solve crimes — but, of course, that cop will sadly not be Joe.

The official logline for Virtue suggests that Cecile will be a single mother who balances her superpowers and law background with solving crimes and being a mom. She will also reconnect with her daughter Joanie from whom she has been estranged for several years, and it’s expected that the Joanie character may be recast. Many thought The CW was out of the superhero business, but the producers’ pitch showed that her mental-based powers could make the show easier and more affordable to produce on a TV budget. It is expected that some of Cecile’s “level up” powers from Season 9 of The Flash will be toned down, and it is said that another reason Virtue has an advantage is that it doesn’t conflict with James Gunn’s ideas for the upcoming DC Studios movie universe.

No specific writers have been named for Virtue so far, aside from the notion that they worked on The Flash. Additionally, the Deadline Weekly article confirms that neither Grant Gustin nor Candice Patton are expected to show up on the series.

We will keep people updated on Virtue here at FlashTVNews under a special “Virtue TV News” icon; though if you’d like to visit our dedicated Twitter feed for the project, you can find it here.

Please read this article before sharing on other websites.

Continue Reading

Trending