After a 10-month hiatus following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Flash finally returned to The CW for its seventh season last month. And while the network had already renewed the series for an eighth season last February, some fans think that lead actor Grant Gustin may be leaving the show after the current season.
Speculations that Gustin is departing the show surfaced after he appeared on the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum last April. While the actor didn’t say that he’s quitting The Flash anytime soon, he mentioned during the interview that he’s been meaning to go back to doing theater productions and take on new roles in movies.
Gustin even admitted that he regrets missing out on worthwhile theater and movie opportunities because his schedule is tied up with The Flash. “I’m very aware especially in certain moments of how lucky I am and how different things could have gone up until this point. [But] there’s plenty of things I that I feel like I’ve missed out on,” the actor revealed. “The past four hiatuses now, I’ve had a hiatus project that has fallen through because of The Flash. There’s a lot of other opportunities out there that have [gone away] because of scheduling conflicts.”
As mentioned above, The Flash was already renewed for season 8, so it’s likely that Gustin had already renewed his contract to continue starring in the show. However, just like what happened in Batwoman season 2, it’s possible that Gustin will not appear in season 8 of The Flash and a new character will take over the mantle of the titular hero.
Interestingly, The CW announced last week that To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You actor Jordan Fisher was cast in the recurring guest-star role of Bart Allen in season 7. Bart, who goes by the moniker Impulse, is the speedster son of Barry (Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) from the future. So if Gustin ends up leaving The Flash after the current season, one potential scenario is that Fisher will take over the role of the titular speedster in season 8.
The Flash season 7 airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.