Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and David Nutter were looking to create a spin-off series featuring none other than The Flash.

The subsequent search for the new Barry Allen (Flash’s alter-ego) went underway and it sure didn’t last as long as some would have thought it would have. The Hollywood Reporter broke news that Glee‘s Grant Gustin had landed the coveted spot and that he would appear as both Allen and the Flash in three episodes in Arrow‘s upcoming third season.



THR reports that those three episodes will be a two-part introduction in episodes eight and nine and then return for the twentieth episode, which will serve as a “back-door pilot” that presumably will lead to a full-fledged stand alone show entitled Flash. Berlanti, Kreisberg and DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns will be the three scribes in charge of penning those three episodes and effectively introducing this iconic character to contemporary audiences.

The trade goes on to detail the episodes.

Episodes eight and nine will focus on the origins and unremarkable aspects of Barry Allen and set him up as “a regular guy”. That twentieth episode is when Allen’s transformation into the lightning quick superhero should occur and the producers of Arrow are certainly hoping that they can capture lightning in a bottle twice. Arrow is a cult hit and Flash could certainly carry on that show’s torch and further expand the universe DC Comics is trying to create.

It’s an interesting model and one that is quite different from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

With Batman, Superman and Green Lantern all established in film already (some better than others to be sure), characters like Flash and Green Arrow (and the actors attached to them) can certainly make the jump from the small screen to the silver screen when and if DC finally commits to its long rumored Justice League film.

Television and film have so often butted heads throughout both mediums’ respective histories. If that is DC’s intention, it would mark a level of symbiotic relationship between film and television that has arguably never been seen before.

And so the question begs to be asked: If this innovative model proves fruitful, can we presume that Warner (who owns The CW along with CBS) will push for Aquaman and Wonder Woman series also (titled Aqua and Wonder, )? These kinds of television shows are considerably cheaper to produce and develop than feature films and could prove to be a faster, more economically feasible and smoother build up to that Justice League film.

The model also differentiates the DC Cinematic Universe greatly from Marvel, which is a huge plus in the eyes of die hard and casual fans alike. More and more, fans of movies are growing intolerant of studios’ lack of creativity and differentiation. If DC can successfully separate themselves from what Marvel has done already and plan to do for a while would prove mutually beneficial for both comic powerhouses.

For now, those questions will probably remain unanswered, but the possibility is almost certainly, awesomely there. To see DC pull this idea off could be real cool.

Arrow‘s third season begins October 9th on the CW.