10 THINGS I WOULD WANT TO SEE IN A FLASH MOVIE
As many DC fans, I’m really psyched at the prospect of a Justice League movie. Not that I care much about Batman or Wonder Woman, for that matter. No, I’m only hoping this movie comes out because I know it’ll probably be the best chance to see my favorite hero from all time – The Flash – hit the big screen and, hopefully, get a solo flick in the foreseeable future.
That being said, I’m also really cautious when thinking whether bringing the Scarlet Speedster to the silver screen would be a good idea. Green Lantern was ruined in so many levels by WB that the last thing I would want is for them to blow the Flash’s chances to be a hit as well. That’s why I’ve decided to come up with a list of things that any Flash film should have – kind of a guideline for studios made by a fan.
So, without further ado, here’s hoping for a successful attempt at a Flash movie in 10 easy steps.
10 - GOOD CHARACTERIZATION OF BARRY ALLEN
Contrary to what many (misinformed) people think, Barry Allen is NOT a dull character. If you take all his appearances in the Flash universe and combine all the traces spread throughout the many storylines, you’ll come up with quite an interesting alter ego.
Barry Allen is, at heart, a geek. He’s a comic book fan, a bit introspective and really intelligent. Barry has a strong moral compass and sense of justice and his major flaw is always being late for everything. He works at a lab as a forensics expert and is a family man. He's also known for his detective skills, which are enhanced by his ability to think super fast. However, what I find most interesting about him is that he actually enjoys being a super hero. If you take a look at Barry’s portrayal in the new 52 universe, you can actually see him smiling and having a blast while using his powers and fighting super villains. Combine all that and there you have: an interesting, relatable persona, which would definitely be worth watching – or cheering to – at the big screen.
9 - SUPER SPEED IN ALL ITS FORMS
Flash’s trademark is his ability to move at unbelievable speed. This should be translated to the big screen through different means when it comes to special effects. As viewers, we should be able to see Flash run incredibly fast and how the physics of his super speed affect the environment. That could be achieved through Matrix-like movements (dodging bullets, escaping explosions, rescuing people etc.) and red blurs spreading all over the place. There should be an adequate balance between scenes where we actually see Barry moving super fast (in slow motion) and the ones where only the result is shown. We should be able to see the Flash running up a building, being in two places (almost) at the same time to fool enemies and using his speed to make life easier – waking up late and still arriving on time, running to the other side of the world just to get some gift for Iris etc.
This would also leave room for cool effects related to speed force use. For instance, can you imagine how interesting (and original) would be seeing Barry vibrating his way through solid objects, performing speed attacks like delivering thousands of punches in a split second and lending or removing speed from objects?
8 - HEROIC STUFF
Some people regard Flash’s presence in the Justice League as useless. They argue that Superman is also pretty fast and could fulfill the role of a speedster. These people disregard the fact that the Flash is ALL about speed. I mean, he knows how to use it for his advantage better than anyone. My point is: speed is Flash’s territory, not Superman’s. So, we should be able to see Barry manipulate speed to perform heroic acts. Recent story arcs were successful in showing that. For instance, we have seen him:
• vibrating a whole plane so it wouldn’t crash into a bridge;
• removing thousands of bullets in the blink of an eye to protect civilians;
• creating whirlwinds and vortexes to engulf huge amounts of water or fire;
• using speed thinking to predict all possible outcomes of a certain event and decide the best course of action;
• building complex stuff in a matter of seconds.
Showing this sort of activity would create a powerful argument as to why the Flash is one of the best heroes of all time. I mean, can you honestly look at the panels in the new 52 Flash issues #2 and #3 and tell me they wouldn’t look great in a live action movie?
7 - THE RIGHT TONE
A key concept in the Flash mythos is movement. So, a movie about the Flash should have the right combination of pace and tone. Also, there has to be a balance between the cheesy/campy and realistic/dark styles. When I think of a Flash movie, I think adventure, boldness and fun. The tone should reflect these adjectives and not follow the serious atmosphere created in the recent Spiderman and Batman movies.
6 - GOOD PORTRAYAL OF THE TWIN CITIES
Central and Keystone Cities have been the home for the Flash family for ages. Any serious movie should pay attention to detail and build these environments as strong backgrounds for the action to take place. The book “Flash: the Dastardly Death of the Rogues” shows exactly how I believe the twin cities should hit the big screens – metropolitan, bright areas, with people always on the run; lots of parks, lakes and bridges; a combination of classical and modern architecture etc.
5 - AN AWESOME COSTUME
Here’s the tricky part: how do you adapt a costume that works perfectly in print to a medium where it could look potentially ridiculous? I mean, could you take a grown man wearing red and yellow tights seriously? Definitely. You want some proof? Take a look at the awesome JLA posters made by whoa123 at
. Chris Pine's Flash costume is just perfect.
It should also be noticed that a live action Flash costume was created in the nineties and worn by John Wesley Shipp in the TV series. Though slightly different from the original (no yellow boots, for instance), the costume looked great and really worked.
As for the way Barry Allen suits up, I kind of feel torn between the classic compressed-spandex-that-jumps-out-of-the-ring attire and the modern approach of the new 52 universe, in which Barry’s suit is kind of a hard armor that assembles itself over his civilian clothes. Either one would be fine in my opinion.
4 - COMPLEX, MEANINGFUL VILLAINS
If there is one thing the Flash book has always had in its favor is a decent amount of bad guys. They are colorful characters with interesting back stories and it would be hard to choose just one for the main flick.
As I see it, you need villains that are both symbolic and complex and have had a deep impact in the whole Flash mythology. For the first movie, I would have either Captain Cold OR Mirror Master as the main villain. Cold is one of the main foes of the Flash and the concept behind Mirror Master’s superpowers is something we have yet to see in the big screen.
The second movie would definitely belong to Professor Zoom, aka Reverse Flash. You can’t have a Flash trilogy without even alluding to Eobard Thawne. Another interesting take would be to take the defeated Mirror Master from the first movie and have him join Captain Cold’s rogues gallery, in which case we would see Heatwave, Trickster and the Top as well.
Movie three would be reserved for Gorilla Grodd. Talking gorillas with sinister plans to take over the world seems to work as a movie theme. Enough said.
3 - THE BUILDING OF A TRILOGY
Super hero flicks to big studios are all about making money. And what better way to do that than through establishing a solid trilogy? Here’s how I see it happening:
Movie one
Working title = “Flash: the movie”
Plot = origin story, Barry gets to know and control his powers, fights a hitman (Cold) or a scientist turned evil (Mirror Master).
Movie two
Working titles = “Flash II: Flashback” OR “The Fastest Man Alive”
Plot = appearance of Kid Flash, time travel-related theme, Flash has to go back to the past to prevent Zoom from killing a loved one.
Movie three
Working title = “The Flash III: Fast Forward” OR “The Scarlet Speedster”
Plot = Gorilla Grodd creates havoc, Barry sacrifices himself, Wally West takes on the mantle.
2 - FAITHFULNESS TO SOURCE MATERIAL
And by source material, I mean the new 52 take on the Flash. Man, this book is near perfection. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have successfully adapted the Flash mythos to the modern world, while maintaining the comic book feel to it. These guys should definitely be involved in some part of producing a Flash movie. I say hire them as consultants or even the main writers for the script.
1 - A DECENT ENSEMBLE CAST
What’s a movie without its cast? This part is crucial for the whole project to work. Everyone has their dream cast for the Justice League movie. Here’s mine for the Flash flick:
MAIN CAST
CHRIS PINE
(Barry Allen / Flash)
Pine's a great actor, has the looks for the part and has taken roles that involve some sort of boldness, which I believe would be a crucial to the Flash characterization.
MISSY PEREGRYM
(Iris West)
Not just cute, but a decent actress, known mainly for her work in Rookie Blue. I believe she would be able to protray an adequate balance between sweetness and pig-headedness, which would make a great Iris West.
MICHAEL SHEEN
(Leonard Snart / Captain Cold)
He's an outstanding actor in my opinion. Though he doesn't exactly look the part, I believe Sheen would make a perfect Cold.
LEE PACE
(Sam Scudder / Mirror Master)
A budding actor, who kind of looks like Sam Scudder. I would love to see Pace perform a villain role.
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
(Eobard Thawne / Reverse Flash)
Needs no introduction. Who cares if he's Magneto? Fassbender has exactly what it takes to portray the complex villain that is Eobard Thawne.
IDRIS ELBA (voice) + ANDY SERKIS (motion capture)
(Gorilla Drodd)
Elba has a great voice and Serkis has the experience in motion capture. Combined, they could make a great portrayal of Grodd.
SUPPORTING CAST
Okay, I won't go into detail here, since I've chosen the following actors / actresses mainly based on their physical similarities to the characters. They all have delivered some solid performances, so I think we're safe.
CHARLES DANCE
(Captain Darryl Frye)
CHRIS SARANDON
(Director Singh)
CHARLOTTE SULLIVAN
(Patty Spivot)
ADAM ARKIN
(Doctor Darwin Elias)
JOHN WESLEY SHIPP (cameo)
(Jay Garrick)
ANTON YELCHIN
(Wally West / Kid Flash)
DIRECTOR – BEN AFFLECK
I really, really want to see Affleck direct a comic book movie. He's a talented director and I believe he'd do whatever it takes to make a great Flash flick.
So, what do you guys think of these ideas? Feel free to add and criticize on the comments section!