There aren’t many actors who are quite as reliable asBilly Crudup. Occasionally, he’s outright brilliant, as in Cameron Crowe’s lovelyAlmost Famous,Jesus' Son,Public Enemies,Glass Chin, and last year’s undervaluedThe Stanford Prison Experiment. In other cases, such as inWatchmen,Sleepers, andMission Impossible 3, he gives thinly written characters tremendous poise and a distinct signature in movement and delivery. Even in total junk, he’s almost always excellent, and that’s likely why he’s in talks for a major role inRick Famuyiwa’s intensely anticipatedThe Flash.
According to Variety, Crudup will be playing Barry Allen’s father, a character that has changed a lot over the years in the source material. In most iterations, it’s understood that both Mr. and Mrs. Allen are alive and well in some sense, but some more recent storylines, including the one that drives CW’s immensely enjoyableThe Flash, Allen’s father has been jailed for murdering his wife. In these story lines, most of Barry’s drive is devoted to proving his father’s innocence in that very crime.
It’s unclear right now where this version ofThe Flashwill take the character, but Crudup certainly looks the part, withEzra Millerplaying Allen. It’s not hard to imagine them verbally sparring with one another and that being involving enough on its own. That being said, there’s a lot of justifiable good will going into this DC property where a lot of other ones are not nearly as promising. Even in the footage we saw out of SDCC, Miller was a clear standout amongstJason Momoa’sAquamanandGal Gadot’sWonder Woman.
Crudup and Miller will be joined byKiersey Clemons, who had a breakout performance in Famuyiwa’sDopeand will play Iris West, Barry’s best friend and not-so-secret crush, for him here. We’re waiting to hear on who the villain (or villains) will be, to say nothing of Iris' father, but with a cast this strong already,The Flashhas a major edge in the DC movie pool.
