Editorial Staff
When “Dawson’s Creek” alum John Wesley Shipp was cast in an undisclosed role on the upcoming “The Flash” series, most assumed – and hoped – it was in the role of the title character’s father – because, well, that would be cool, and be somewhat of a sweet tribute to the previous small-screen incarnation of the comic series.
Having played the superhero on the small screen in the ‘90s, executive producer Greg Berlanti tells TV Line that Shipp was always their man for the Poppa Flash role.
“Given his history with The Flash, [executive producers] Andrew [Kreisberg], Geoff [Johns] and I could only think of one person we wanted to play Barry’s father and that was John Wesley Shipp. He gives a fantastic and emotional performance in the pilot and we are looking forward to his presence in many more episodes. Also, personally, it was just wonderful to work with him again since my days at Dawson’s Creek. He’s a great actor and a great guy.”
In the series, Barry Allen’s father is wrongly arrested for the murder of his wife. Having witnessed the crime, Allen knows his father is innocent and spends a good amount of the season zooming about on a mission to find the real culprit.
