'The Flash' Adds Ron Livingston As Barry Allen's Dad, Replacing Billy Crudup

Earlier this month, word broke that Billy Crudup would not be returning as Barry Allen's dad in The Flash due to scheduling conflicts. Now, the role has been recast, with Ron Livingston on board to play Henry Allen. The character first appeared in Justice League, and then again in Zack Snyder's Justice League, where he was shown behind bars for the murder of his wife – a crime his son is sure he didn't commit.

Variety broke the news about Ron Livingston joining The Flash cast as Henry Allen, father to Ezra Miller's Barry Allen, AKA The Flash. Billy Crudup previously played Henry Allen in the two different cuts of Justice League, but his work on the new season of The Morning Show caused Crudup to drop out of The Flash. Rather than write the character out of the script entirely, The Flash has instead recast the part.

In addition to Livingston, the cast has also added Ian Loh as the younger version of Barry Allen, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso have also joined the cast in undisclosed roles. They join the previously announced Kiersey Clemons, as love interest Irish West; Sasha Calle, who is playing Supergirl; Maribel Verdu as Barry Allen's mother; and both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as different versions of Batman. Keaton recently gave an interview stating that he might not actually be part of the film, but as of now, everyone is saying he's still attached. And personally, I think Keaton is just playing coy to try to retain some mystery about the project. As you can probably tell from the "multiple Batmen" casting, The Flash is rumored to deal with time travel and alternate dimensions. It's been long reported that the film would draw on the Flashpoint comics arc, which had Barry Allen traveling to an alternate dimension.

Andy Muschietti, the filmmaker behind It, is helming The Flash, with a script from Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson. The film has not had the speediest path to the big screen – Seth Grahame-Smith was initially supposed to helm but dropped out of the project in 2016 due to creative differences. Grahame-Smith was replaced by Rick Famuyiwa, who also left the film citing creative differences. After these departures, Game Night filmmakers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein came on board to helm. But like the directors before them, Daley and Goldstein would also leave the flick. Finally, Warner Bros. hired Muschietti for the gig. The Flash is currently scheduled to open on November 4, 2022.