The Flash Is Losing One Of Its Biggest Stars
The Flash property seems to be in all sorts of trouble as of late, and now one of the biggest stars from the property is set to leave.
The Flash on the CW is currently in quite a state of flux right now. The series has been running for eight seasons. With a ninth on the way, some of the stars have contracts that are up in the air. Jesse L. Martin, one of the longest-running stars on the series, is now confirmed to be leaving after appearing in multiple episodes of the show’s next season.
Jesse L. Martin is likely leaving The Flash due to nabbing a role in NBC’s The Irrational, where he’ll be playing the lead role. The show was recently picked up for a pilot. Jesse L. Martin played Barry Allen’s father figure and Central City PD detective Joseph West. He took Barry on as his ward after the death of Barry’s mother and after his father was incarcerated after being falsely accused of the murder.
Though Jesse L. Martin played an integral role in The Flash, he’ll have an even bigger part in The Irrational, which is based on the book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. The story follows Alec Baker, who is a behavioral psychologist that takes on high-stakes cases. In the story, he’ll be going up against a female domestic terror suspect. The pilot is set to be shot in early summer and will be considered for NBC’s programming lineup if they decide if it’s worth pursuing as a series.
Jesse L. Martin is undoubtedly someone that The Flash series will miss, but another contract is currently in question that would shake up the CW show even more dramatically. Grant Gustin, who stars as the titular speedster, has reportedly only signed on for one more season. While this might be a simple case of contract negotiation tactics, it could be that Gustin is looking to move on from the DC series. Long-time stars Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker’s contracts also ended after the eighth season, so it remains to be seen if they’ll sign on for more.
Fans are also wanting Gustin to take his role from The Flash to the big screen and replace Ezra Miller in the upcoming movie. Ezra Miller was recently arrested, and alleged behavioral issues have led DC higher-ups to consider avoiding adding them to any of their upcoming movie projects. With Ezra Miller’s role in potential jeopardy, it’s possible that Gustin could take up the mantle and please fans of the long-running TV series. Since the upcoming Flash movie is supposed to have multiverse components, it’s always possible that Gustin’s Barry Allen could show up even if Ezra Miller keeps the role.
If you’re a fan of The Flash and other CW-DC shows, it’s understandable to be worried about the future of your favorite shows. However, due to the success of The Flash, it’s unlikely that the series will, excuse the pun, slow down anytime soon. Even if major characters do decide to move on from the project, the showrunners surely have contingencies and ideas for where the story can go next. Until then, you always have the upcoming season to look forward to.
