The Flash! But is it really?
 

Komarnicki, WB revive superhero skein with time travel twist

By JOSEF ADALIAN

'The Flash'

The WB's drama development for fall 2004 is picking up speed, with the Frog making a put pilot commitment to a new take on D.C. Comics superhero the Flash.

Feature scribe-producer Todd Komarnicki ("Resistance") is writing the pilot and will exec produce the project via Warner Bros. Television and his Guy Walks Into a Bar shingle. Net has attached a hefty penalty to the project if it's not picked up to series.

"The Flash" -- which revolves around an ordinary man with superhuman speed -- is the Frog's latest attempt to reimagine a comic or literary classic for primetime following the success of its Superman-inspired "Smallville." Last season's "Birds of Prey" didn't work out, but execs have high hopes for this fall's "Tarzan."

"It's becoming an unexpected tradition for us," said Carolyn Bernstein, WB exec VP of drama development.

As with "Smallville," the new "Flash" will have a "no tights, no flights" philosophy, which means the character won't be clad in the classic red suit. He'll also have a cool 21st-century mantra that will guide his life.

"Once our hero gets his calling, he's given the advice, 'Live fast so others don't die young,' " Komarnicki said.

Per Bernstein, WBTV topper Peter Roth came to the net a few months ago to pitch the idea of bringing "The Flash" back to the small screen. (CBS had its own "Flash" skein back in 1990.)

"The twist Peter talked to us about was incorporating time travel into the Flash mythology," she said. "We've been talking internally about doing a 'Time Tunnel'-style show, and this was the perfect way to blend time travel with an established franchise we know is beloved by people who know the comic."

And so in the new "Flash," our hero will be a fresh-out-of-college Gothamite who discovers he has the ability to move very fast -- so fast, in fact, that he can travel backward or forward in time. He'll use that skill to right wrongs, save lives and kick ass.

"This is a story about a guy who's aimlessly drifting through life and barely moving at the speed of life when he discovers his calling is to move at the speed of light," Komarnicki said.

Bernstein said the show will have self-contained storylines each week in addition to ongoing plot points.

"Every week he'll have a mission, a la 'Mission: Impossible,' " Bernstein said. "It's a big, fun, adventure series. There's also a mentor character who'll train him, and there's a legacy of Flashes before him."

The new "Flash" will not be a brooding superhero, but he will recognize that his new life means plenty of compromises.

"When he's in the future, he's missing his present," Komarnicki said. "He's really giving up some of his own life to help others."

Scribe-producer said he feels like he's "won the lottery in getting to work with Peter Roth and the WB."

On the feature front, Komarnicki and production partner Jon Berg are producing New Line's big holiday comedy "Elf" and have teamed with the studio for the David Dorfman ("Anger Management") pic "The Retreat."

"The Flash" was packaged by Komarnicki's reps at Endeavor.

I thought this was supposed to be the a seires about the FLASH, WTF is all this Time Cop bullshit they're adding!? -rolleyes-

I was one of the few that happened to enjoy the CBS version with John Wesley Shipp.

http://www.stomptokyo.com/img-m1/flash.jpg

Actually that is pretty close to the comic book version. Flash time travels in the comics a bunch, had a mentor, and has a legacy of previous flashes.

Sounds kind of cool to me. I liked the CBS version too.

I also liked the CBS version.

Yeah the CBS series was pretty good at least maybe we'll get the original on DVD now

What else was the guy that played the Flash on CBS in? He looks familiar.

Mitch Leery. Dawson's dad.

He was also the dad in The Neverending Story II.

I think the time travel bit is a bad addition.

The CBS Flash was a highly enjoyable series. I agree, let's hope that it is brought to DVD soon!

Good production value on CBS Flash and Shipp was good in the role. Too bad it didn't last long.

The Flash comic has been really good for a long time now, but they keep making him more powerful. I always thought superspeed was one of the best powers you could have, but during Mark Waid's long run on the book, Flash became so powerful that every threat was boring. This included the time travel stuff.

I remember the first Flash comic I ever read and even long before Waid started on the title, Flash seemed way too powerful. In that comic a bullet was about to hit him without him even knowing it. At the exact instant the bullet touched him, his body automatically went into superspeed where all time around him was barely moving. It's a cool ability and made for a great story, but with all his powers I don't see how anything can hurt him. I don't know how many times I've been reading the comic and just thinking he could do this or that and he'd have his problem resolved. It's pretty annoying.

He's also more-or-less out of the closet these days, more so than most American actors, anyway.

What are the chances that the show's time travel will take place with the help of the Cosmic Trademill????

Probably about the same chance of seeing Krypto, Streaky, Beppo, or any of the other super pets on "Smallville".

And does this news mean that the WB is no longer working on developing a "Starman" show?

If it had lasted, Shipp wouldn't have been able to have a starring role on Dawson's Creek. ;) (Dawson's dad for 4 seasons)

i watched the cbs version when I was little (late 80's early 90's right?)

He could have had a few more seasons in the Flash though. I don't watch DC but he only had a very minor role.

I thought the CBS Flash had better chemistry than Lois and Clark did at the time.

I don't mind a mentor [cough]*Jay Garrick*[/cough] and I hope this is more Barry Allen like the CBS show, but it sounds more Kid Flash/Wally West and using the speed force.

probably just a misspell but it was a TREADMILL.
i'll watch the new show but as flash probably has the best superhero costume, i'm disapointed that the new show won't have a costume.

The Flash character isn't nearly as well known as Supes- I don't think the "no tights" thingy is going to work in this case.

Starman is perfect for it, since Jack never wore tights anyways. You can't get any more "anti-hero" than Jack Knight.:)

Hell, at least this might get the 90s Flash show on DVD.

I guess I'll give the show a shot. I have my doubts, though, since <B>Birds of Prey</B> sucked donkey and <B>Smallville</B> sucks (even though I watch it...but I'll probably stop soon).

Count me among those who also liked the CBS show.

http://www.ameritech.net/users/dvdtalk/rome.gif

add me to the list that Loved the CBS flash show. bought the LD and all. :)

http://www.photowrld.com/pics/apays.jpg

:drool: ... one of the reasons we all watched the original series!

THe CBS FLASH had the BEST "real life version" of a superhero costume around. :up:

John Wesley Shipp Hero Model Kit

http://www.monstersinmotion.com/anim/flashmovie.jpg
rotfl

Not necessarily. Once Speed Force (and Hypertime) were invented all the Flashes, the offspring of the Flashes and anyone who could tap into the Speed Force were able to use the Speed Force to go forward and backward in time.

Actually, you guys should read Flash #200, in some ways it is the start of a reboot. It is quite interesting and I can't wait to see where they take it.

Although Hypertime destroyed the DC universe for a while, the inclusion of the Speed Force greatly helped the Flash comic book become one of the top tier ones in the DC universe.

Yeah flash 200 is good. I dig the rain sequence.

But to be honest since they're making the flash loose his suit, come from gotham city and having him do a 'kungfuwalkthe earthtimetravel' schtick then why even have the flash?

Why not just create a new character so they can do whatever they want with it?

To cash in on a property, er franchise?

I think the thing is with smallville is that its a prequel. It doesnt have him in space or in the year 3000. It stays true to the characters.