Ryan Reynolds Nearly Became The Flash—Here’s Why The Multiverse Almost Got A Whole Lot Funnier!
Added on August 29, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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Ever wonder what would’ve happened if Ryan Reynolds had truly embraced his destiny as The Flash? Well, buckle up—because in a cosmic twist that almost feels like Mercury retrograde messing with Hollywood’s timeline, Reynolds nearly sprinted into the DC Universe spotlight way back in 2004. Before Deadpool’s sassy quips and the emerald-glowing face of Green Lantern, there was a bold plan involving David S. Goyer’s vision of a younger, more irreverent Flash named Wally West, perfectly tailored for Reynolds’s charm. Imagine a world where lightning struck twice—not just on screen but in Reynolds’s career path—potentially erasing Deadpool from existence! As the planets aligned and studios clashed over tones and visions, this “flash” in the pan project fizzled, leaving us pondering: is Hollywood’s fate written in the stars, or was this just another missed opportunity racing by at light speed? Dive into this cosmic tale of scripts, speedsters, and what-ifs that might just change how you see your favorite superhero flicks. LEARN MORE
In 2005, while doing press for The Amityville Horror, Hollywood funnyman Ryan Reynolds spoke to a reporter about a rumor circulating in town, a rumor that (if true) would change the trajectory of Reynolds’s career and arguably would have seen Deadpool movies NEVER get made. With one quote from the actor, Reynolds created a parallel universe. And that quote, “I AM The Flash.”
That’s right, folks, if you didn’t know, Ryan Reynolds (aka Deadpool, AKA Green Lantern, AKA Hannibal King) nearly cut his teeth on the DC Universe in the early millennium when iconic screenwriter and director David S. Goyer was hired for a live-action Flash movie, and had his sights set firmly on Van Wilder himself as the character. Today, I will tell you the story of how Ryan Reynolds almost took up the golden boots over the emerald ring, and how that may have shaped a world where Reynolds never played Deadpool, and (probably to his delight) never played Green Lantern. Let’s talk about it.
In 2004, after Goyer was hired to write Christopher Nolan’s iconic Batman adaptation, Batman Begins, the filmmaker struck up a relationship with Warner Bros. The studio came to him and presented him with two potential comic book properties that they were looking to adapt into live-action. Those properties were Green Lantern and The Flash. At this time, Superhero films were gaining popularity after the smash successes of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Bryan Singer’s X-Men films, and yes, even Blade. However, these kinds of movies were still experimental, with tones and styles shifting from light to dark, and the lines between grounded and fantastical still not clearly defined. This status allowed for the potential of new comic book movies to be whatever they wanted stylistically, without too many other films of their kind to compare them to.
This notion intrigued Goyer, as Blade Trinity was not well received; he felt that playing in the sandbox of a brighter and more comedic character would be a refreshing project for him. With two hot IPs in his hands, Goyer looked at the executives at WB and firmly said that he saw the most cinematic potential for The Flash, and decided it was the perfect next movie for him. But, he wasn’t just going to be a director for hire. Goyer had a vision for the story and told the studio that his Flash movie would follow the younger, clumsier, less experienced Wally West Flash.
Goyer naming Reynolds for Wally (Dec 2004):
“We’re going to use Wally West… I’d love to have Ryan [Reynolds] play Wally West.” (Interview excerpts compiled from Moviehole via SuperHeroHype.)
See, the version of the Flash we are used to seeing in live-action is Barry Allen. A forensic scientist who was given extraordinary metahuman abilities after a lab experiment gone wrong. For those of you who haven’t read many Flash comics, the character of Barry is usually mature, somewhat whimsical, but mostly just a golden age kind of classic, strait-laced superhero. Over the years, they’ve aged him down more and more, given him a more comedic edge, and dialed down his maturity. But in 2004, if Goyer wanted to present audiences with a witty, inexperienced clown who has to learn to BECOME a hero, it was clear that instead of focusing on Barry Allen, we’d focus on his nephew, Wally West. Technically, the third Flash.
Goyer tells the studio about his idea, and they order his script. While writing the character, Goyer found himself writing the opening monologue in the voice of Ryan Reynolds, who had become friends with the director during their time on Blade Trinity. As he wrote the script, Goyer fleshed out the character more and more to be suited to Reynold’s specific acting sensibilities. Charming but cocky, intelligent but naive, heroic but selfish. Goyer’s vision for the character would have been closer to Peter Parker than anything else, which seemed to be the perfect leading character archetype for the story he had written. A film that would have been about overcoming insecurity, honoring legacy, and discovering yourself by way of a red superset and speed-induced time travel!
The script opens with Wally running at light speed down a sunny street, giving exposition about The Flash’s legacy.
“They say that lightning never strikes twice. But in my case, it did. The first time was the night Barry died. The night the whole world learned he was The Flash.”
Barry’s run gets even faster as he explains that The Flash was an urban legend that parents told their children bedtime stories about- but that was then.
We then see Wally picking up speed, getting faster and faster, until the light around him distorts and the sound barrier breaks as we snap into the past. The text on the screen reads, “12 years ago.”
In a flashback sequence that Goyer wrote, we get to know Barry Allen and his relationship with a young and (at the time) non-superpowered Wally. He looked up to his uncle, but didn’t know he was the Flash. Wally stayed with Barry and Iris for the summer while his parents divorced and split up their housing. This situation caused Wally to act out in ways that kids typically do. Shooting rocks at windows with a slingshot, giving the police trouble, and being generally mischievous. Barry loves Wally and tries to mentor him in the right way by encouraging him to do good and be strong for his family. This flashback takes up about 12 pages of the overall script for what would have essentially given us a kick ass Barry Allen Flash sequence, and explains Wally’s understandable trauma and later desire to hide from his uncle’s legacy rather than uphold it.
The sequence would see Barry suit up as the Flash for a raid with the police on a villain named Victor Vesp. Comic book fans may know him better as “Turtle.” Victor plans to use a large tech weapon known as the Infinity Transducer. The weapon is designed to steal Barry’s speed and transfer it to Victor.
We also would have met Hunter Zolomon, Barry’s pal and future mentor to Wally—and in a twist reveal, we would find out that he was, in fact, Zoom, one of the Flash’s greatest (and fastest) adversaries.
Now, at this point, Reynolds wouldn’t have been in the movie very much, as it’s mostly a flashback. However, from this point forward (page 16 in the script), it’s a very Ryan Reynolds-feeling character.
“The Adult Wally, now mid-20s. Boyish good looks, an easygoing grin. The kind of guy who skates through life never taking anything too seriously.”
Sound about right? That’s the first description we get of him in the script.
Adult Wally is introduced in the film by showing up 20 minutes late to a nice dinner with his girlfriend, only to be dumped and start a fight with her new boyfriend at a fancy restaurant.
The first act of the film would establish what Wally is up to, and the answer is… mostly nothing.
Until he gets struck by lightning while visiting Barry’s grave and BOOM- we have a new Flash.
But where Barry was valiant, wise, and virtuous, Wally is reckless, sarcastic, and anything but heroic.
Word spreads that the Flash’s nephew was struck by lightning, and speculation that a new speedster is rising begins. From inside a maximum security prison, Victor Vesp reads the headlines and plots his next move. We would learn here that Victor’s attempt to steal the Flash’s power in the flashback scene would have mutated him into having a much slower metabolism, which stunts his aging and gives him a grotesque turtle-like appearance. And he’s about to get another chance to steal the speed force.
The Ryan Reynolds-isms continue when Wally is invited on a string of talk shows and celebrity interview shows, and the character is wearing a cocky smile and never taking anything seriously. He’s soaking up the limelight as a nepo-baby superhero with no real responsibility to complement his extraordinary powers. If Peter Parker were in a frat- that’s the kind of Wally we’re dealing with for most of the movie. While Iris and Hunter both encourage Wally to use his powers to restore The Flash’s legacy and make a difference in Keystone, we learn that Wally doesn’t want to try to be a hero, honestly, because he knows that deep down, he could never be as good and as heroic as his Uncle Barry. He wants to hide behind the mantle of The Flash without having to live up to it.
Remember that Reynolds’ most notable works were Van Wilder and Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Parlor. Besides minor roles in things like Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, he had mostly been doing single episodes on sitcoms and wasn’t booking things the way he does now. Of course, the very next year, he would explode with the hit indie films Waiting, Just Friends, and Smokin’ Aces, all releasing around the same time. But at this point, he was not a bankable leading man, just a charming-if-annoyingly sarcastic sitcom actor. But to Goyer, he was the perfect actor for the role.
When Reynolds read the script, he seemed ecstatic about taking on the role of the titular Flash. He saw the character as “well within his wheelhouse” and enjoyed the softer side of the character that would be peppered throughout. But Reynolds’s star wasn’t as bright as it would be years later, and his interest alone would not be enough to get the script greenlit.
So, Goyer finishes the script with a third act that would see Barry overcoming his insecurities and tapping into the speed force to save the day from Zoom and Turtle while proudly completing his arc as The Flash. This would have also involved a final battle between Flash and Zoom that spanned worldwide and subsequently caused a handful of natural disasters. If you thought the destruction in Man of Steel was bad…
Warner Bros. read Goyer’s script and pitch for Reynolds as the leading man. They read the first act, which focuses on Barry. They like it! They read Act Two, where Wally is peak Reynolds-esque, and the film is at its lightest and funniest. They DON’T like it. They want something more aligned with their most recent hit, Batman Begins. Something more grounded, less “Flashy” and just overall different. Goyer would cite this as typical “creative differences” in the end, but at the time, this movie was looking to get made, and Goyer was passionate about it.
Defending his script while still taking meetings with WB, Goyer wanted this movie to get made. Reynolds would even comment about the film in interviews, stating:
In a 2005 interview, the actor said, “I am The Flash.” The actor later clarified this statement in 2007: “I was never officially signed on… I’d love to play Wally… If it were Barry, I wouldn’t be interested.”
With Goyer steadfast on his story and WB wanting something more akin to their recent hit, Batman Begins, Goyer was removed from the Flash at WB, and the project went on ice. But not for long!
See, during this time, Reynolds had been becoming increasingly popular in Hollywood and more bankable with every new movie. So, in 2007, WB hired another comic book lover, Shawn Levy, to work on a new version that would also star Ryan Reynolds as The Flash.
This experiment lasted less than a year with no other development before Reynolds gave fans a minor update on MTV in August of 2007. He stated:
“It’s no secret that they have a JLA script… it’s a project that’s in development.” (MTV quotes are relayed by SuperHeroHype/RottenTomatoes.)
This meant that the solo Flash movie was no longer in development or even on the table—but there was a supposed George Miller script called “Justice League Mortal” that seemingly would feature not only the Flash but also Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. However, another blow was struck to Reynolds’s hope for the project when WB announced that Adam Brody would play Barry Allen’s version of The Flash.
With that, it seemed like Reynolds was out. This led him to play another superhero in a little franchise you might know- The X-Men- with the terribly received Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But what about Goyer? After all, the guy is a superstar writer, so his script must have at least led to something else, right? Well, yes. It led to a slap in the face and a kick in the balls.
Remember when I said that Goyer was originally given TWO options for movies he could make: The Flash and Green Lantern?
While Goyer worked on The Flash, WB started developing the Green Lantern film with a separate creative team. And as The Flash was falling apart, The Green Lantern was only getting closer and closer to being ready. When it came time for casting, we all know that Ryan Reynolds infamously played Hal Jordan in the much-hated Green Lantern Film. Not only did WB not take Goyer’s script, but they took his leading man. While Green Lantern was shooting, another blow to Goyer’s ego was struck when Warner Bros. hired the inferior Green Lantern scriptwriters to write a new story, a solo Flash movie.
Now, that movie didn’t end up getting made either, and eventually, WB put all talk of a Flash movie on hold until the birth of The Snyder-Verse.
Let’s take a second to think about what could have happened if WB had made this movie. Goyer directs a Wally West Flash movie with Reynolds as the leading actor. Assuming that the movie would have gone into production in 2006 and been released in 2007, it could have ridden the financial coattails of Batman Begins, while being a nice treat to tide DC fans over while we waited for The Dark Knight. This could have led to a sequel, which would have locked Reynolds down for at least a few years, but it would have almost certainly solidified him as the Flash in George Miller’s Justice League Mortal, potentially making Reynolds a contractual DC character for well beyond the foreseeable future.
I would guess that if this movie got made, Reynolds would never have had time or the need to play Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which would have meant that he would never have been the only choice for Deadpool when he himself championed the film’s creation from 2012 until the film’s release in 2015. Basically, if he played the Flash, he wouldn’t have played Deadpool. And personally, I only like Ryan Reynolds when he’s Deadpool. So, is it good that this movie didn’t happen? Idk, at this point I’ve lost all hope of seeing a great Flash movie. For those who didn’t know, he is my favorite superhero in DC comics.
So, what started as a passionate screenwriter looking to showcase The Flash’s potential on the big screen slowly became a promising screenplay with a leading actor who was seemingly perfect for the role, only to decay into another movie that didn’t get made. But for what it’s worth, you can find the script online—I read it, and I thought it was pretty cool. It’s not my ideal Flash movie, but it’s still pretty good.
What do YOU think? Have you read the script? Did this video make you want to read it? Let u know in the comments!
Source:
JoBlo.com
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