Although many fans were turned off by Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Grant Gustin—best known for playing Barry Allen in The CW’s The Flash—has recently revealed something interesting. The actor skillfully portrayed the role in nine seasons of The Flash (2014–2023), which was inspired by the DC Comics character (Barry Allen), a superhero crime-fighter with the speed of a superhuman.
Gustin served as The Flash‘s face on The CW for almost ten years. But apparently, he was never even given the opportunity to make a brief appearance in the Miller-starring film of the same name. There were several cameos from all over the DC Multiverse in The Flash. However, it appears that Warner Bros. did not contact the Puppy Love actor. Yes, Gustin, 33, recently revealed that he was never even approached to appear in the $270.6 million film!
RELATED: James Gunn’s The Flash Did a Major Disservice to Grant Gustin and Arrowverse in a Big Way
Grant Gustin Explained Why He Did Not Return As Barry Allen
A loose adaptation of the Flashpoint comic book plot, The Flash starred Ezra Miller as Barry Allen. Through the multiverse in the film, Miller’s Flash encounters various characters from DC’s live-action past. Accordingly, Grant Gustin has become a highly sought-after cameo on The Flash. That being said, the movie blew the chance to include the actor in a fleeting cameo. The actor himself admitted that Warner Bros. never even asked to work with him on the 2023 film, helmed by Andy Muschietti.
According to flashfacts4real, the actor-singer, 33, disclosed at a recent panel appearance:
“Never, any, at least no one officially, ever called me. As far as I know. My reps never told me, if they did. So yeah, no, no one ever reached out to me about [The Flash].”
This seems strange because Miller was given the chance to co-star with Gustin in The CW series Crisis on Infinite Earths. It is safe to say that the latter might have escaped a bullet, considering how The Flash ultimately performed both critically and commercially!
After numerous delays brought on by director changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and post-production setbacks, The Flash was finally released on June 16. Reviews for the film were divided; while critics praised the action sequences, comedic acting, and performances, they were critical of the third act and the special effects.
Andy Muschietti Outlined The Reason For Grant Gustin’s Cameo Absence
According to Nerdist, following a special screening of The Flash, Andy Muschietti talked about Grant Gustin’s cameo absence from the film. The latter nearly made an appearance in the film as the Arrowverse version of the speedster, the director disclosed in response to a query from Dorian Parks. Though The Flash‘s team “played with the idea of including DC characters from TV,” the Affluenza actor’s cameo was ultimately unfulfilled, as Muschietti pointed out that the list of possible cameos was lengthy. In his words:
“Of course, as I said before the list of cameos…was huge. So obviously we played with the idea of including DC characters from TV, but we just had to pick.”
The movie has made $270.6 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest box office bombs ever, despite Warner Bros.’ $200 million loss predictions. In order to honor his legacy as Barry Allen over the past ten years, Gustin deserved to have a cameo in Miller’s The Flash.
Christina Hodson wrote the screenplay for the film, which also starred Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton.
Watch DC’s The Flash on Max, while Gustin’s The Flash is streaming on Netflix.
