The Best Flash Actor Is Gunning For James Gunn And The DCU
James Gunn might be rebooting the DC universe, but that is not stopping some former DC actors from trying to get in on the fun. At Toronto Comicon, Tom Cavanagh from the CW’s Flash said that if James Gunn would allow it, he would absolutely reprise the role of the Reverse Flash in Gunn’s new movies. And considering the CW’s Flash was probably the most well-received interpretation of the Flash and his villains put to the screen so far, a lot of fans are not against the idea.
Tom Cavanagh As Flash?
“Yes, James Gunn, James where are you? James, I’m right here, pretty solidly built, still athletic,” said Cavanagh.
“You know, not the youngest cat, but pretty good, pretty fast on their feet, can move pretty good. I would love to work for you, Gunn. I hear all this stuff on social media about Grant Gustin, c’mon, he’s got a job.”
To Old For The Flash
In those comments indirectly made to James Gunn, Tom Cavanagh does acknowledge his advancing age for action movies, with him already being 60-years-old.
Cavanagh also pokes fun at how many fans have already been asking for Grant Gustin, who played Barry Allen/The Flash on the CW show, to get to reprise his role in Gunn’s upcoming movies.
For his part, Gunn has not given any indication as to who may ultimately wind up playing The Flash in his rebooted DCU. But he is definitely aware of the conversation that is transpiring.
Grant Gustin In Too?
In a response to Tom Cavanagh’s appeal, James Gunn posted a reaction on Threads of a laughing emoji.
So Gunn is clearly entertained by Cavanagh’s approach. But naturally that is most likely just all in good fun and nothing serious can be read into such a simple response.
Like Tom Cavanagh, Grant Gustin is aware of the fan demand and has no problem letting James Gunn know his stance. In the past, Gustin made it transparent that he trusts Gunn to do the character justice.
“Yeah, if James Gunn asked me to play The Flash, I would do it again,” he said. “I trust James Gunn.”
James Gunn Focused On Superman
Unfortunately for Tom Cavanagh and the rest of the CW crew, James Gunn currently has his fixation pretty firmly on the upcoming Superman movie that will kick off the new DCU.
It is crucial that this reboot for the DC film universe goes well, as it will set the tone for whatever comes after. If Superman does not even do well, producers likely will not feel bold enough to move forward with any Flash movies again for a good long while.
Fan Opinions Can Matter
Still, you can’t blame Tom Cavanagh for getting his campaign going early so that James Gunn takes notice.
It might all just be fun and games right now, but if fan response is strong enough, anything can happen.
After all, it was a strong fan response that gave James Gunn his directing job back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after he was briefly fired following some off-color jokes he had made years ago resurfaced.
Fans felt that punishment was too harsh and a waste of Gunn’s talent, so Marvel eventually relented and reinstated him in the role.
James Gunn Leading DC
It will likely be a long wait to see if the fans are similarly there for Tom Cavanagh, but James Gunn would likely be the person to listen given how the fans helped him.
In the meantime, Gunn is undoubtedly thrilled to be one of the few in Hollywood who can say he was trusted enough to work on major projects for both Marvel and DC.
