Chatting with Comic Book Therapy, John Wesley Shipp – star of the 1990s TV series The Flash – has been speaking about returning to the world of DC’s Scarlett Speedster, with the actor set to take on the role of Barry Allen’s father in The CW’s upcoming Arrow spin-off.
“They made an offer,” states Shipp when asked how the part came about. “They called my agent and said they wanted to talk. When I heard about it, people were saying ‘Jay Garrick! Jay Garrick! Jay Garrick!’ I thought ‘Yeah, I guess a mentor figure.’ I thought that was pretty limited. Then I heard about Geoff Johns reboot where he reimagined the Allen family and the fact that the father is imprisoned, convicted wrongfully, for killing his wife. I thought ‘Wait a minute! That’s the character! I don’t know what I can say without giving stuff away! All I can say, if people were disappointed that I’m not playing Jay Garrick because they wanted to see the baton passed, they’re going to get that. It’s going to be in the context of father/son so that it will appeal to a wider audience, because we have to realize that we can’t keep a show on the air…although the comic book audience will drive getting it there, we have to appeal to a broader audience so we put it in the context of father and son. But they will know when it happens. It’s awfully effective.”
The Flash is set to get underway in the Fall and sees Grant Gustin (Glee) leading the cast as Barry Allen alongside the likes of Candice Patton (The Game) as Iris West, Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) as Detective West, Patrick Sabongui (Almost Human) as David Singh, Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th) as Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost, Rick Gosnett (The Vampire Diaries) as Eddie Thawne, Broadway star Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe, Michelle Harrison (Emily Owens, MD) as Nora Allen and Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as Harrison Wells. Watch a five minute trailer for the series here.
Originally published June 5, 2014. Updated December 13, 2019.
