Three’s company! ‘The Flash’ stars Grant Gustin as Barry Allen a.k.a. the title hero. At SDCC, it was revealed that Teddy Sears would don the metal helmet of Jay Garrick, a parallel universe Flash, who in the comics, fought crime during the 1940s. Now, a potential third speedster may be zipping to Central City, as the series has cast Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West.
In the comics, Wally is Iris West’s nephew who befalls a similar accident and gains similar powers to those of Barry Allen. Wally becomes the Kid Flash, The Flash’s sidekick and a longtime member of the Teen Titans. After Barry’s death, Wally took on the mantle of The Flash and proudly served in that role for decades, before Barry was restored to life and reclaimed the title.
Lonsdale is best known to US audiences for playing Uriah in ‘Divergent‘ and ‘Insurgent.’ A professional dancer, he appeared on the Australian drama ‘Dance Academy.’ He will next be seen alongside Chris Pine and Eric Bana in the big screen Coast Guard drama ‘Finest Hours.’
Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg enthusiastically endorsed Lonsdale and expressed his excitement of bringing the popular character Wally West to the show, saying in a statement:
“Just like when we met Grant [Gustin] for the first time, we instantly knew Keiynan embodied all the heart and courage of a hero. We are so excited to be bringing this much-beloved character onto the show.”
As of now, Lonsdale has only been announced as playing Wally. It’s not clear whether or not he will become Kid Flash… but c’mon, it’s going to happen at some point. Lonsdale’s background as a dancer should help with the physicality of that aspect of the role. (Gustin also has a background as a singer and dancer, as showcased on ‘Glee’)
Wally West joins a steady parade of DC heroes and villains that have been announced to be joining ‘The Flash’ and ‘Arrow’ this year, including Casper Crump as Vandal Savage and Falk Hentschel as Hawkman. Just as last year, the two CW super hero hits will cross over, this time to help set up spin-off show ‘Legends of Tomorrow.’
More info as it is released. As of now, it’s unclear what role Wally will play on the show, although it would be safe to assume that he won’t be Iris’ nephew, since it’s been pretty clear that Iris is an only child and that she and Barry were the only kids in the West household growing up. It’s more likely he’ll be a cousin, but then again, if ‘The Flash’ is set to explore parallel realities, there could be a wilder story there.
It’s also worth noting that Lonsdale is not a teenager, meaning don’t expect a mentor/sidekick relationship with Barry, as the two will be much closer in age.
What do you think? Are you happy that Wally is being added to the show? What role do you want to see him play?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
