In 1990, ‘The Flash’ sped onto network television on the heels of the smash success of ‘Batman’ the 1989 Tim Burton blockbuster, mimicking much about the rubber suited Dark Knight. The show was simply too expensive to produce and didn’t garner the necessary ratings, but it remains a fondly remembered live action adaptation and lantern-jawed lead John Wesley Shipp certainly didn’t disappoint as Barry Allen/The Flash.
And the role has followed the actor through the years. He voiced the part of The Flash’s arch-enemy Professor Zoom on ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ and now he has a recurring role on The CW’s upcoming ‘The Flash” TV show, starring Grant Gustin in the title role. So what part will Shipp play on the new comic book adaptation?
Fittingly, Shipp will play Doctor Henry Allen, the father of Barry Allen. It was revealed in Barry’s appearances on ‘Arrow’ that Henry was convicted of killing his wife Nora, but Barry knows otherwise. He describes seeing a blurry male figure, presumably Professor Zoom or Eddie Thawne, played by Rick Cosnett on the show.
Shipp’s role will apparently be recurring, so expect Dr. Henry Allen to pop up repeatedly throughout the first season and possibly beyond that as Barry tries to clear his father’s name and find his mother’s true killer.
Shipp joins Gustin and Cosnett as well as Tom Cavanaugh, Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patterson, Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes.
Does the inclusion of the first live action Flash make you more excited about the new version coming this fall?
Source: Newsarama
