The shake-ups at DC Studios make it clear James Gunn is ready to reboot the movie universe. Yet, if he's looking at the DC talent pool already at his disposal, he should absolutely look to the Arrowverse for capable actors ready for the "big" leagues.
Before the age of Prestige TV, actors made the jump to movies on rare occasions. Despite a shaky and inconsistent output on the big screen, the veritable workhorses on the sets of The CW series created over 700 hours of interconnected DC Comics storytelling. Frankly, James Gunn could pick characters like Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen or Melissa Benoist's Supergirl and put them in film. Still, it feels like DC Studios is trending toward a full reboot. But, Gunn isn't above working with the same actors, since Jason Momoa is a favorite to play Lobo. The CW is a repository of talent he should look at, too.
Bring Back Supergirl's Nicole Maines as Zatanna
A later addition to the Supergirl cast, Nicole Maines had the simultaneous honor and unenviable position of playing the first transgender superhero in live-action or animation. Nia Nal, or Dreamer, was an original creation of the show. Having her reprise the role does feel like a no-brainer, yet there's opportunity there for another trans actor to reimagine the character. This is how Batman, Superman and other DC icons became immortal. But this doesn't mean Maines shouldn't be a part of the new DC Universe. Given Dreamer's magically stylized powers, Maines shows she can handle that kind of sci-fi weirdness. So, she'd make a perfect Zatanna.
The popular DC sorceress has shown up in animation but has yet to make the jump into live-action. The way Maines played Nia's story shows that she can balance light and dark, crucial to most interpretations of Zatanna. Maines also proved she can handle character debuts and VFX-heavy stuff, on a broadcast TV schedule no less.
Give Brandon Routh the Rare DC Hat Trick as Brainiac
Even more delightful than Brandon Routh returning to DC as Ray Palmer on Arrow was when he suited up as Superman for Crisis On Infinite Earths. Both Ray and his Clark Kent are relentlessly nice guys, something that doesn't seem too far from the actor himself. Yet, after leaving DC's Legends of Tomorrow before he wanted to, he found himself on The Rookie, playing a truly despicable character. This police procedural was overdue to address racism, but casting the eminently likable Routh elevated the storyline. It also proved he can do villains.
Brainiac is a character that almost debuted in many canceled Superman films but ultimately never came to fruition. This is likely, in part, because he would be a very visual-effects-heavy character. As Palmer, Routh was easily able to play the "smartest guy in the room" and has natural charm. If he adds some of that cold ruthlessness he gave his The Rookie character? His Brainiac would be terrifying.
Javicia Leslie in an Unexpected or Original Role
Currently busy on the set of The Flash Season 9, Javicia Leslie is one of the best Arrowverse finds. She stepped into Batwoman after the original series lead made a messy exit. She also debuted as an original character, replacing the immensely popular Kate Kane. By the time the new owners of The CW canceled Batwoman, it felt like it had always been her show. On the strength of this alone, she could be James Gunn's Arrowverse wild card.
She could step up in a more expected role, like Vixen or Starfire. Yet, that thinking is almost too limited for an actor like Leslie. If Gunn has an original character he wants to introduce into the films, Leslie might just be the actor to do it. She is adept with stunt action scenes and the emotional character moments that sent a thousand "ships" to sail on social media each week. If any Arrowverse actor gets to reprise or remix their TV role, let Ryan Wilder loose on the DCU.
Let David Ramsey Play Green Lantern
David Ramsey's John Diggle is the longest-running character in the Arrowverse, counting the continuity-adjacent Superman & Lois. Before it became clear the DC on The CW party was over, he led the Justice U pilot, a kind of earnest version of The Boys: Gen V. Yet, driven by fans comparing him to the DC Animated Universe's John Stewart, the show began to tease that he would eventually become a Green Lantern. This was one thing the Warner Bros. brass never let the TV side get away with, however. Gunn could change that.
Ryan Reynolds' take on Hal Jordan (written by Arrowverse godfather Greg Berlanti) frightened the studio from going near those characters. There are dozens of Green Lanterns in the comics, so Gunn's new movie and TV universe have room for more than one. He's also an accomplished director, and Gunn knows how well TV directors can do with superheroes the public is initially skeptical of. After reinvigorating Captain America in his second film, TV directors Joe and Anthony Russo went on to direct one of the highest-grossing and most complex superhero films ever created.
Grant Gustin Should Be the DC Universe's Barry Allen
Sure, Grant Gustin spent 9 years playing The Flash on a network TV schedule. It makes sense he'd want to move on from that. But movies are a whole different story. Like The Batman and, it sounds like, James Gunn's Superman film, any new Flash story could pick up with the hero already established.
Gustin could show up for the team-ups, leaving Kid Flash to take his own journey on TV and maybe other films until he finally assumes the mantle. He led The Flash through ups and downs, while also serving as the heart of this shared universe. The Green Arrow was the TV Justice League's Batman, but Gustin was its Superman. (All due respect to Tyler Hoechlin.) He perfectly embodied the kind of purely heroic character that proves a challenge to actors who think they all need a "dark side." Gunn would be wise to build on the goodwill Grant has from the generation who grew up with him as Barry Allen. They even come to the films already understanding multiverses.
No matter what one thinks of the substance of the individual series' episodes, the Arrowverse was wildly successful for DC. Kids who saw their movie theaters overrun with Marvel heroes were able to find the DC heroes at home. With a fanbase as fractured as DC's, Gunn and Peter Safran should mine the Arrowverse talent pool as much as they can.