THE FLASH (2014): Comic Characters Casting for CW Pilot

The CW‘s Flash pilot fills in cast with familiar characters. As the now stand-alone pilot for The Flash takes shape, so has its cast of supporting characters. The characters Cisco Ramon and Eddie Thawne had been previously announced, but now there is a face to go with one of them. Rick Cosnett (The Vampire Diaries) has been tapped to play the role of Eddie Thawne (speculation on the role and character of Eddie Thawne had been mentioned here)

Rick Cosnett

Also joining the cast will be Danielle Panabaker (Shark, Justified), as Caitlin Snow.

Danielle Panabaker

While the character has been officially described as “a highly intelligent bioengineering expert, who lost her fiancé during an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs,” comic book fans may recognize her name as being associated with a more dramatic history.

About Caitlin Snow:

Dr. Caitlin Snow was a scientist sent to S.T.A.R. Labs Outpost #72, in the Arctic, to work on a thermodynamic engine whose creator had committed suicide. She soon discovered the site had been infiltrated by H.I.V.E. agents, however, and when they tried to kill her, inside the engine, Caitlin frantically ripped of the coolant system, merging her body with the ice. Transformed into a heat vampire, she killed the H.I.V.E. agents and continued to search for other sources of heat.

Those events served to introduce Caitlin Snow as DC comic’s New 52 version of Killer Frost, a villainous identity that had been assumed by at least two other characters.

About Killer Frost:

Both versions have shown the ability to absorb heat from external sources and transmute it into waves of cold. Using these powers, Killer Frost can create an ice-sheen across her entire body. She can then generate objects composed completely of ice, such as projectiles (ice daggers) and defensive walls. She can also instantly freeze animate matter through physical contact. In pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths appearances, she had the ability to make men fall under her control with a kiss.

The casting announcement, for Cosnett and Panabaker, comes after earlier word of Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order, Ally McBeal) being cast as Detective West.

Jesse L. Martin

The West character will serve both as a father figure to Grant Gustin‘s Barry Allen, and an entry point for Barry’s yet-to-be-cast potential love interest, Iris West.

With The Flash now set to have a definitive, stand-alone pilot of its own, a series commitment would result in it becoming a contemporary of Arrow, rather than a spin-off from its potential stablemate. This particular change to the plan does not signal a breaking of the mold, however. The two series will still share creative forces (The Flash pilot, at least, will be directed by David Nutter – who directed the Arrow pilot – with Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg attached, and written by Arrow contributor Geoff Johns), and if the pilot’s character list is any indication, The Flash will share Arrow‘s extensive use of the DC catalog. Of course, some separation could free The Flash of Arrow‘s unwritten “no powers” rule….

Leave your thoughts on this casting update below in the comments section. For more The Flash photos, videos, and information, visit our The Flash Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook. No air date has been announced for The CW Flash pilot.

Sources: Deadline (1, 2), Wikipedia, DCWiki