In terms of expansive comic book universes, Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe has pioneered a version of cohesive multimedia continuity for its superhero franchises wherein the events of their movies, television shows and Netflix series are designed to be happening in-tandem, with events from one medium effecting the others and characters (most of the time) able to cross over between platforms. At the same time, rival studio Warner Bros. has opted to go a different route with their DC superheroes, in TV series like The CW’s Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the web series Vixen all take place in a shared continuity of their own, they do not (officially) connect to the continuity of either CBS’ Supergirl or the emerging DC Extended Universe spinning-out of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fans have reacted with mixed feelings, with many who’ve already become loyal to one version of their favorite hero resenting the idea of being asked to accept another existing in an adjacent franchise.
But one person who’s not upset is Grant Gustin, who portrays the speed-powered Barry Allen on the hit CW series The Flash. In fact, the actor isn’t having any of this hero-vs-hero talk, and recently took to Twitter to clarify that he has no issue with someone else donning the Scarlet Speedster’s tights for the DC Film Universe (aka the DC Extended Universe).
Reacting to some news outlets erroneously reporting that he was somehow unhappy with another actor taking on the role for the movie side of the DC Universe, Gustin posted a snap of a lengthy text explaining his thoughts in greater detail that he doesn’t condone the “bashing” of prospective “Movie Flash” Ezra Miller, despite having “liked” several Tweets from fans who had expressed their desire to see him continue the role instead.
Gustin recently stated:
Miller is set to play The Flash in the first Justice League movie (it is rumored but unconfirmed that he may also briefly appear in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice) before spinning the character off into a solo feature of his own. Thus far, The Flash is the only League member to be appearing concurrently in a different franchise, but not the only DC character, as Amanda Waller, one of the primary antagonists of the upcoming Suicide Squad set to be portrayed by Viola Davis, already exists on Arrow in the person of actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
“I fully support Ezra Miller as Barry Allen and the Flash on the feature side of DC. I’ve never met the guy, but I think he is a fantastic and interesting actor. Would I have liked to play Barry Allen in a film? Sure. I love this character and it has changed my life and making movies and tv is something I hope to be fortunate enough to do for the rest of my life. I “liked” some tweets from fans that expressed their support of me and said they would’ve enjoyed seeing me in the movie. Nothing of anyone “bashing” Ezra. I don’t condone that type of behavior (especially on the Internet) and I definitely don’t partake.”
If Miller’s Flash does in fact arrive on the big screen in BVS, it will be interesting to see how fans react, and whether or not the character makes a strong initial impression or if he is immediately compared to his television counterpart.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, which is followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 23, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and then Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.
Source: Grant Gustin
