The Flash has had a nonexistent history in the film industry, and only a select few outings on the small screen, this is simply an examination of how I would remedy that if I were in such a position.
Barry Allen is the first Flash, I only find it fair that the franchise begin at the beginning with the straight laced detective turned super hero, rather than his wisecracking protege who inevitably inherited the mantle of The Flash. The reason I've chosen Armie Hammer is due in part to a number of things. First of all is that he's proven himself as an actor with roles in films such as The Social Network and J. Edgar, and after seeing the promotional still for the upcoming The Lone Ranger, he also proved that he could fill out the mask
Next up is...
Rachel McAdams has proven in films such as The Notebook that she has the "girl next door" qualities needed in casting the love interest, and she has also exuded the spunky qualities necessary to play Barry Allen's tough reporter girlfriend in films like Sherlock Holmes. McAdams is an attractive woman and a good actress, what more do you need?
Now it's time to cast the rogues, but before I do, I would like to give you, the reader, some background information on what my interpretation of the rogues would be, and why some of these choices might seem a little bit unorthodox:
I wanted the rogues to be a group of middle aged ex-con friends. Alone, they don't seem threatening, but together, they pose a viable danger to The Flash, but that hasn't always been the case...
After the appearance of the Flash, this group of weekend warriors (who started out robbing convenient stores) adopted a group of outlandish, thematic alter-egos. However, it wasn't until a mysterious stranger from the future appeared bearing gifts that these rogues stood a chance against The Flash
The Unofficial leader of the group is...
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a great actor. He has the tough look needed to play the weathered Leonard Snart, and he has proven in television roles such as Supernatural, and feature films such as Watchmen and The Losers that he can play a leader.
The unstable maniac is...
Woody Harrelson is a fantastic actor. He can do comedy, he's done it well in films such as Kingpin, and with the blink of an eye he can change character, becoming a downright frightening persona, such as the one he embodied in Natural Born Killers. These are all integral parts of The Trickster, his entire theme is one based in comedy, yet he is a mentally deranged individual who can become very violent and intimidating.
The experienced hothead is...
Barry Pepper is an established character actor with prominent supporting roles in critically and financially successful films such as Saving Private Ryan and True Grit. I'm going to keep this brief and to the point: Saving Private Ryan showed that he could be the man with the skill, and True Grit showed that he could adopt a villainous persona. 'Nuff said.
The getaway man is...
Who better than Russell Crowe to play a middle aged Australian super villain? This Captain Boomerang is the man who gets you in and out of tight spots when things get hot. Crowe is another established character actor, arguably most known for his starring turn as Maximus in the Academy Award winning Gladiator. His behavior, both on screen and off, serves to support my claims that he could play a super villain.
The idea man is...
This Mirror Master will be the man with the plan. His intellectual capacity is bit higher than his convict compatriots, which means it wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that he is the brain behind each operation. Sinise is another of those oddball choices, but he fits with the middle aged theme, and he has proven that he is a great actor in roles such as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump and Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13. I can see it, how about you?
Last but not least, the mysterious benefactor is...
Patrick Wilson is young enough that he could bring the physicality to this role in future sequels, and he has proven that he can get behind the mask in Watchmen. In the roles I have seen him in, he's done a nice job, and I think he could play the antagonist to The Flash very well. The Proffessor would serve to monitor The Flash in background roles such as this one, and he would become more of a physical threat in later entries.
That concludes my Flash fan cast, feel free to comment, critique, and so forth. Thanks for looking!