Casting Call: The Flash

The rumor going around is that after The Man of Steel, Warner Bros is going to move forward with a Justice League movie. From that, they want to spin off the other heroes in their own franchises. This is the opposite of the Marvel Method, to build 4 individual franchises and then unite them. This is a risky gamble if the Justice League movie is a dud.

With that in mind, you need to cast the heroes as people who can carry their own movie. Henry Cavil is Superman. Ben Affleck is being considered to direct and star, so I think they want him to be Batman (which I think is actually is a good choice). Ryan Reynolds is Hal Jordan, but because his movie did not perform as well as expected, though I loved it, they are talking about replacing him with either John Stewart (the character, not the Daily Show guy) or Kyle Rayner. We already cast Olivia Wilde as Wonder Woman. So that leaves a few choices left to round out the traditional Justice League lineup: Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Arrow, the Atom, Hawkwoman, Cyborg, and the Flash.

The Flash is the most likely choice to be in JLA movie. So what should he be like?

Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, is the most popular with people outside of comics. He was the center of the Flash TV series from 1990 starring John Wesley Shipp (the pilot was great, but the series lacked the same quality) He is a police forensic scientist who was methodical and perpetually late to everything. His chemical rack is hit by a bolt of lighting, striking him and giving him super speed.

Barry is a straight-arrow. He is the by-the-book guy who played with chemistry sets as a kid and wore a bow tie as an adult. The actor playing him should be muscular without bulk; he should have a runner's build. He also needs to be able to convey the Flash's earnestness and determination without seeming hokey.

Here are our contenders:

Daniel Radcliffe

photo by DavidDjJohnson

A bit on the younger side, but he we know he can handle the pressures of a big franchise and I think he could be fun in the role

Neil Patrick Harris

Photo by Lan Bui

He's best known for his comedy, but he has dramatic range. Though a little bit older, he is in great shape and he once did the voice for the Flash in an animated movie, so he has some familiarity with the character

Simon Pegg

photo by Paul Hudson

This is an outside the box thought. He has the action chops (see Hot Fuzz and Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol). He could bring intelligence and humor while kicking butt

Ryan Gosling

Photo by AlBBie905

His performance in Lars and the Real Girl show his ability to disappear into a role and I think he could handle the duality of the shy scientist and the confident Scarlet Speedster.

Jamie Bamber

photo by Chad Forbes

The third Brit on the list, Bamber was amazing on Battlestar Galactica where he played an earnest, yet action-oriented Apollo. He could bring that same energy to the Flash

Thoughts?