It sounds like Ezra Miller could be replaced as The Flash in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, but who could play the next Scarlet Speedster?
The DC Universe is in an era of change. The Flash might not have been the success that DC Studios was hoping for, but it has pressed the reset button on the worlds of DC. As Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios attempt to distance themselves from the struggling DC Extended Universe, James Gunn and Peter Safran will attempt to use its remnants to kick off the new DC Universe. And that’s where The Flash comes in.
The Ezra Miller-led DC movie saw the Scarlet Speedster accidentally reset the timeline when attempting to save his mother. That initially took him to a world without metahumans, where only a retired Batman (Michael Keaton) and an imprisoned Kryptonian, a.k.a. Supergirl (Sasha Calle), could help him save mankind.
Even though Barry’s actions should ensure he is safe from the timeline changes that launch the DC Universe, nothing from the old DCEU is safe right now (except Gunn’s own Peacemaker). Right now, there is no Flash project in the DC Universe’s first chapter (and it might be a long time before there is one after the disappointing box office performance). And, talented as they are, Ezra Miller’s recent legal troubles have thrown their future as the DCU’s Flash into question.
Aside from that, a recent report suggests that none of the actors in the previous DCEU movies, particularly the Justice League, will be reprising their roles in the DCU, so it sounds like we might have to get used to the idea of seeing a lot of new faces on the silver screen.
Should the Scarlet Speedster indeed end up joining the likes of Batman and Superman in needing recast for the new DC Universe, here are some actors that could be a great fit for the iconic role.
Freddie Highmore
Kicking things off we have Freddie Highmore, an actor who has certainly made a name for himself on both the big and small screens over the past two decades. He is currently best known for his role as the title character in The Good Doctor. His performance as Dr. Shaun Murphy has been praised, earning him a Golden Globe nomination too.
But honestly, Highmore has been impressing us long before his stint on The Good Doctor, as he was compelling as the young Norman Bates in Bates Motel and joyous in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, it was his role in The Spiderwick Chronicles that truly showcased his ability to lead a big franchise, and it’s those attributes that would make him perfect for The Flash.
Barry Allen is known for being dorky, nerdy, and obsessed with science, and those are all elements of the character that Highmore would nail with ease. The star is used to demanding roles, and he would have no problem channelling Miller’s iteration of the character (if that version of Barry returns) or playing a different, slightly less awkward version (perhaps more in line with Grant Gustin’s portrayal in The Flash TV series).
Highmore has already done so much at such a young age; if he wishes to add playing a superhero to that list, The Flash would be perfect for him.
Joseph Quinn
Joseph Quinn has been a regular presence on television for some time, but he exploded onto the scene last year in Stranger Things season 4 playing Eddie Munson – a character who quickly found his way into the hearts and minds of fans all around the world. Heck, one might even go as far as to say that Eddie was the most beloved fictional character of 2022. He was just that popular.
Quinn’s popularity as Eddie was for good reason. He’s a wonderful actor capable of bringing depth to his characters; one that is a formidable screen presence who also has what it takes to make a character endearing. HIs performance as Eddie is the perfect example of this.
If DC Studios opted to recast The Flash, Quinn would be a remarkable choice to play the role. Not only would he do a great job of channelling Miller’s version of the character, he would also bring his own charm to the role, giving us a new Barry Allen that fans would quickly fall in love with.
Quinn is one of this generation’s most promising young stars and fans are already calling for him to join a superhero project. The Scarlet Speedster would be an excellent choice for him.
KJ Apa
If DC Studios decides to move away from Ezra Miller’s Flash, one way they might be able to accomplish that would be to move away from Barry Allen altogether. Thankfully, Barry isn’t the only Flash in the comics, as Wally West is every bit as iconic when it comes to DC’s speedsters.
One name who often comes up when discussing potential actors for Wally in the DC Universe is KJ Apa. The Riverdale star looks incredibly like the version of Wally from the comics (that was popularized by animated series Young Justice), especially when he’s boasting that signature red hair when performing as Archie Andrews in The CW series.
In recent years, Wally is every bit as known for being Kid Flash in his younger days as a superhero thanks in no small part to Young Justice‘s popularization of Kid Flash, and we could definitely see KJ Apa pull off the yellow and red suit (with that red hair on display). With his youthful charm always coming across on Riverdale, it’s easy to imagine him bringing the Kid Flash version of Wally to life. But Apa is no stranger to playing mature roles either (see his later years on Riverdale and his performances in The Hate U Give and I Still Believe), so he’d definitely be a great contender for The Flash as well.
He’s a great actor with a bright future ahead of him. He almost found his way into the DC Universe with the now-cancelled The Wonder Twins movie, but maybe The Scarlet Speedster could be the role that finally brings him into it.
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet is arguably the biggest young actor of this generation. At just 27 years old, he has led a major movie franchise, starred in multiple indie darlings, and appeared in a major TV series. He has won countless awards and even been nominated for an Oscar, two Golden Globes and three BAFTAs.
One thing that the Call Me By Your Name star hasn’t done yet is star in a superhero movie. It’s certainly not a necessity for the critically-acclaimed performer, but it is something that comes up quite often, especially since so many huge names are attached to either the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DC Universe these days.
There are multiple characters that Chalamet would be a great fit for, and Barry Allen is definitely among them. Not only does he have the quirky personality to pull it off, he physically resembles the DCEU’s iteration of the Scarlet Speedster, so that would automatically make the recast a believable one.
Chalamet is a powerhouse of a performer, so it goes without saying that he would give his all if he were to play The Flash. And that’s just one of the many superhero roles he would be great at.
Dylan O’Brien
Barry Allen is quirky, charming, handsome, and full of personality. Those are qualities that are also true to Dylan O’Brien, and that’s just one of the many reasons why the young actor has found himself attached to the role of The Flash for years (even though he’s never been officially attached to the role of The Flash). Fans want to see him play the Scarlet Speedster and now might be the time to make that happen.
O’Brien is, of course, best known for his role as Stiles Stilinski on Teen Wolf, where he exhibited many of the personality traits that Barry is known for – first and foremost being something of an unlikely hero. Since then, he has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men, starring in all three Maze Runner movies, the thriller American Assassin, and the hidden gem Love and Monsters.
Fans reckon that Hollywood consistently overlooks his talent, and a superhero movie might finally give him that big-scale platform to show it to a more mainstream audience. As well as The Flash, he has also been rumored for the role of fellow DC superhero Nightwing – another character he would undoubtedly be great for.
As someone who has been rooting for O’Brien since Teen Wolf, it would be great to see him succeed once again as DC’s Scarlet Speedster.
Lucas Till
When it comes to The Flash on film, Lucas Till is a name that has been at the top of fan-casting lists for years now. When you break it down, it isn’t hard to see why fans think he would be a great choice to play the hero.
A veteran of the screen at only 32 years old, he has appeared in a number of big movies and TV shows over the past decade and a half. He is also no stranger to the superhero genre, having portrayed Havok in X-Men movies First Class, Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse. He then became the human, but iconic, hero on television, leading CBS’ MacGyver reboot for five successful seasons.
Yes, Till knows his way around leading man material, technologically-advanced plotlines, and superhero content, but he’s a fan-favorite choice for Barry Allen because of more than that. His natural charm and charisma on-screen has made him a star over the years, but so has his endearing personality, and that is what the Scarlet Speedster is all about. Furthermore, he actually looks like Barry Allen, so for the comic-accurate appreciating fans, casting him in the role would be a huge win for the DC Universe moving forward.
Grant Gustin
This one was obvious, right? It had to be. Nobody knows Barry Allen or The Flash better than Grant Gustin. Not even Ezra Miller. The young actor has played the role for a decade now, portraying the Scarlet Speedster on The CW’s long-running Arrowverse show The Flash, debuting on two episodes of Arrow before leading nine seasons of his own TV series. A TV series that went on to become the biggest hit the network had ever seen, and a global phenomenon.
That show is about to wrap up its ninth and final season (just a few weeks before The Flash movie debuts in theaters, in fact), so Gustin might have some free time in his schedule going forward. Of course, he may not want to play the role anymore (even if it is a different version of Barry) but it goes without saying he deserves the offer at the very least, especially since Warner Bros. were heavily criticized for their initial decision to cast Ezra Miller in the role just weeks after The Flash premiered on The CW to millions of viewers in 2014.
Like we said, nobody knows Barry Allen better than Grant Gustin. He’s also a reliable performer who has gifted us with TV’s greatest hero, and one that fans have wanted to see headline The Flash’s silver screen projects right from the very beginning. Now is the time to right that wrong of overlooking him in the first place, and let him take the Flash franchise to even greater heights.
Would you like to see Grant Gustin or another actor play The Flash in the DC Universe after the reset begins? Let us know in the comments below!