'The Flash': Massive Update on Grant Gustin's Future on the Show
The Flash star Grant Gustin seems to have made a decision regarding his future with the series. According to Deadline, Gustin is nearing a deal to return for the next season of The CW show. While The Flash hasn't officially been renewed for Season 9, this report does indicate that it's on the horizon.
Gustin is reportedly in the midst of finalizing a contract to appear on Season 9 of The Flash, which is a product of Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. A multi-year offer was said to be on the table, but the actor is nearing a deal with a one-season commitment. If The Flash is renewed for Season 9 (which appears to be likely based on this contract re-negotiation), Gustin will appear in a maximum of 15 episodes. This new contract also paves the way for a pay increase for the star, who was reportedly earning more than $200,000 per episode for Season 8.
Since Gustin is now on board, final negotiations withstanding, a Season 9 for The Flash is appearing all the more likely. Leading up to this report, it was unclear whether the star would continue with the show. In the past, Gustin has addressed how long he would like to portray the iconic superhero. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2020, he shared his vision for The Flash's future.
"Listen, I may never have a job this cool again, that this many people actually tune in to watch, so I'm not gonna take it for granted," Gustin explained. "I was talking to Michael Rosenbaum the other day and to go as many seasons as they did with Smallville, like, nobody gets to do that! That's always been something I thought would be really cool to accomplish. It's not just my decision, obviously, but it has a lot to do with the viewers, and the network, and I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But I can definitely see myself doing more than just the one [season] that I have left on this current contract. Seven [seasons] is it for most of the cast actually, but I think it would be great if we can continue after that."
Deadline noted that a similar situation regarding a renewal happened with one of The CW's stars on Arrow, as series star Stephen Amell left the show after Season 8. In order to incorporate a fitting conclusion to the show, The CW wanted to make its decision on The Flash's future before wrapping Season 8. That way, they would be able to give the show a fitting sendoff if Gustin did decide to leave the series.