One of the best things about Ryan Coogler taking on Black Panther is that he brought along his favored leading man, Michael B. Jordan, to play the villain of the film, Erik Killmonger. Not only would this be Jordan's second Marvel character, after portraying the Human Torch in Josh Trank's troubled yet fascinating Fantastic Four, it would also mean that the actor gets to play bad after playing a pugilistic hero in Creed and the tragic, good-natured lead in Fruitvale Station. It's the first note of personal involvement in films that are often disappointingly impersonal.

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Image via Open Road Films

And now, as Variety reports, The Flash director Rick Famuyiwa is following suit by casting Dope standout Kiersey Clemons as Iris West in his impending DC adaptation. Fans of The Flash TV series on CW will know the character of Iris West as played by Candice Patton, who has proven to be a perfect match for Grant Gustin's Barry Allen while never quite being able to solidify a real relationship. One might rightly imagine that their relationship will be a lot closer in the film, as Famuyiwa won't have the time to show Ezra Miller's Barry Allen dating half off Central City. Then again, the will-they-won't-they timbre of their relationship is part of what distinguishes The Flash from other DC properties, and it's one of the most prominent things that should be considered in creating this new iteration of The Flash.


There was a consolidated effort by the fanbase to make sure that Famuyiwa's version of Iris West would be African-American, like Patton, and Clemons casting confirms that DC is starting to shy away from the white-washing trend in Hollywood. As for Clemons, she's proven to be a major scene-stealer in Dope, as well as in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and I can only imagine she will similarly be one of the more remarkable elements of the Flatliners remake, which she recently signed on to co-star in. Though Miller looks to be perfect in the role from the Justice League footage we saw at Comic-Con, Clemons might even run away with Famuyiwa's movie when all is said and done.

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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via DC Comics

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Image via The CW