Flash / Supergirl Musical: Candice Patton Won't Play Iris West

CBR

By Brandon Staley

Published Mar 15, 2017

Patton will play a mobster's daughter in the musical crossover between Supergirl and The Flash.

Candice Patton's Iris West has been through the ringer over the last few episodes of The CW's "The Flash." First, she learned she will be slain in the future by the evil speedster Savitar, then her engagement to Barry crumbled when she found out her fiance popped the question out of fear. With all that gloom surrounding the plucky reporter, fans should be excited to know that Patton will be taking on a completely new, breezier role in the upcoming musical crossover event between "The Flash" and "Supergirl."

Speaking to TV Line, Patton said she won't play Iris West in the musical crossover episode. Instead, the actress will play an as-yet-unnamed mobster's daughter.

"We get to see Iris as a completely different character — new name, new everything," she revealed. "Barry is whammied by the Music Meister and both him and Kara are in this dream-like state where they envision a world where… Iris is this fast-talking, brash daughter of a mobster. It’s a wig that we put on, and I was very much inspired by ['Dick Tracy's'] Breathless Mahoney. It’s just fun for us to do something different, because Iris usually has that 'girl next door' thing going on. Even the sets we’re in are so glamorous and kind of 1940s-style. It’s really fun."

Breathless Mahoney was the femme fatale played by Madonna in the 1990 movie adaptation of "Dick Tracey." Mahoney's main musical number from the film, "Sooner or Later," caught on enough to be performed at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in 1991. It's a fitting inspiration for Patton, whose character is the result of a mass hallucination caused by Music Meister, the episode's main antagonist.

First appearing in the animated television show "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," Music Meister is a supervillain with the power to hypnotist his victims with music, causing them to believe and act as though they are performing in a musical theater production. "The Flash" star Grant Gustin and "Supergirl" lead Melissa Benoist should have no problems fitting into their musical roles; both got their starts acting on the music-focused television series "Glee."

Debuting on the CW on March 21, "Duet" is a musical episode that brings together the casts of "The Flash" and "Supergirl." This upcoming musical crossover stars Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin, Candice Patton and Jesse L. Martin.