I'm suggesting Gallagher because of how I envision it will turn out, how his looks and on-screen presence could match the hero. The "business standpoint" is a whole another question. To some degree, I can see that it isn't compatible with my suggestion(s). But what if Gallagher is a "Keaton"? He was met with a lot of negativity too, until the first pic were released.
What about my other choice Joseph Mazzello?
He could be like a Keaton I guess. But Keaton was headlining major movies before he was cast as Batman. He was met with negativity because he was mainly known for headlining comedy movies.
Gallagher is known for being a supporting player on 7th Heaven when he was a child. If he headlined some comedy movies, I think that there would be better reception to him. Instead, he's just known for 7th Heaven.
As far as Mazzello goes, it's equally random of a choice, but Mazzello is unknown enough for people to not react negatively. I only know Mazzello from Jurassic Park and Simon Birch, so I don't really have an opinion on his acting as an adult, but solely based on his appearance, he doesn't give me a Flash vibe at all.
I'm not saying that these guys would make a bad Barry Allen, i have no idea how they would do in the role. But yeah I think Gallagher will be held down by his past until he does a respectable film that gets people to stop thinking about 7th Heaven. As far as Mazzello goes, his past isn't brought down by a 10 year long **** series, so he's still pretty much unknown. There would be no reception to his casting. It'd basically be like Gustin getting cast as Flash, nobody knew who he was or what to expect.
They've already cast an unknown as Barry Allen on Arrow. For a movie, I think they should get a slightly more recognizable name. Aaron Paul is pretty much my favorite actor in that age range right now, I'd love to see how he would handle a character like Barry. Paul is such an amazing actor that I think he could pull off Barry's persona pretty well. I don't think Jesse Pinkman is the only character Paul can play. i believe in the guy. I think he's destined to become one of the great actors of our time
Can you imagine the response to the announcement of Paul as Barry Allen? It'd be met with unanimous praise. That would reallly, really work in favor of the Flash character. He's not a popular character, so casting a popular actor with a built in fanbase would be a very smart move from a business standpoint. I know a bunch of people are only going to see "Need for Speed" because Aaron Paul is the main character. I'm sure those same people would see Flash if it had Aaron Paul in it..I really think he's the most solid and realistic choice for Flash. Ryan Gosling and Aaron Paul would be my preferences for Barry, but I don't think Gosling as Flash is realistic, he's too big for that now. Paul is on the cusp of superstardom, he'll still be cheap enough to hire for a couple movies, and I think he'd be willing to do something like this.