Lately, we haven’t heard much detail about the DC Extended Universe's The Flash, most likely because the next two films in the franchise (Suicide Squad and Justice League) are currently hogging the spotlight. We first met “movie Flash” (played by Ezra Miller) briefly in director Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice when he jumped through time to issue a warning to Batman (Ben Affleck). A video of The Flash in action at a convenience store was also discovered by Batman via Lex Luthor’s (Jesse Eisenberg) secret metahuman file folders in Batman V Superman.
We will soon be graced with The Scarlet Speedster’s presence once again in the upcoming Justice League movie, where he will be recruited by Batman (his mentor). If you have any doubts as to Ezra Miller’s ability to perform well, our own Justice League set visit suggested he’s got what it takes to become a breakout solo star.
In June of this year, The Flash movie recruited a new director after previous director Seth Grahame-Smith (screenwriter of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) dropped out due to creative differences. Enter Rick Famuyiwa (who has already been called "the best" by writers Chris Miller and Phil Lord) the screenwriter and director of such films as Dope, The Wood, and Brown Sugar. While we expect Famuyiwa to pen a fresh Flash script draft based on his own ideas, when will he begin casting?
Variety reports that Famuyiwa has, in fact, already gotten started on casting The Flash and is considering Kiersey Clemons for the female lead, having already worked with her on the critically-acclaimed indie film Dope. Since her breakout performance in that movie, Clemons has risen to stardom landing a role as a sorority sister in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and one of the leads in Sony’s remake of Flatliners starring Keifer Sutherland.
THR reports that other contenders for The Flash's female lead (who, yes, is Iris West) include singer Rita Ora and Lucy Boynton. British-born Ora best known for her voice does have some acting experience. She played the role of Mia (Christian Grey’s sister) in Fifty Shades of Grey and has appeared on a few British TV shows. Boynton, also a British actress, has much more experience than Ora and recently starred in the surprise indie hit Sing Street and just finished production on Rebel in the Rye, an upcoming J.D. Salinger biopic. These three potential leading ladies do have one thing in common – they are all lesser-known.
It’s safe to assume that the leading lady role is, as THR claims, Iris West, Barry Allen’s best friend, eventual lover, and badass news reporter at Central City’s Picture News. In the comics, West is also the proud aunt of Kid Flash a.k.a Wally West, and grandmother of the 4th Flash, Bart Allen. Iris’s current portrayal on The CW’s The Flash (played by Candice Patton) is a bit different from the comic books, and there is no way to tell what her role will be in The Flash movie as of yet.
As we have already seen with other castings in the comic-book film genre (Marvel for example), lesser-known actors end up getting a big boost in their career, often becoming megastars. Joining the DCEU as a major character isn’t just a one-time thing, especially considering how closely Iris sticks to Barry’s side throughout most of his life. If either of these three actresses are chosen, they better be in for the long haul and nail the on-screen chemistry with Ezra Miller.
Suicide Squad is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman is slated for release on June 2, 2017; followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash is currently without a release date.