Posted in: DC Universe, TV | Tagged: Danny Bilson, entertainment, flash, HRL, john wesley shipp, mark hamill, Paul De Meo, television
Paul De Meo, Co-Creator of the '90s Flash TV Series, Has Died
Paul De Meo, co-creator of the 1990 Flash TV series, died yesterday, according to his long time writing partner Danny Bilson. The news broke when Bilson tweeted out that his "brother, friend and creative partner in all things" had passed away. No details on the cause of death or even his age were given.
Bilson and De Meo developed, wrote, and produced the version of the Flash that introduced so many elements that the current CW series uses today. It starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen, today he plays Jay Garrick. Also from the series were Mark Hamill a the Trickster, Amanda Pays as Dr. Tina McGee, Alex Desert as Julio Mendez, Corinne Bohrer as Prank and Vito D'Ambrosio who played Officers Bellows. All of who reprised a version of their characters in the new series.
The pair also wrote the Trancer films and the Rocketeer movie. They were the first to adapt the Human Target for television, starring Rick Springfield, and the created the series Viper and Sentinel. They even returned to the Flash, writing a brief comic run for DC after Infinite Crisis.
Shipp tweeted a message after learning of De Meo's passing:
I'm shocked and terribly sad to learn of Paul's passing. DannyBilson and Paul DeMeo changed the course of my life 28 years ago by trusting me with their Barry Allen, and I am forever grateful. My heart goes out to family and friends.
And Mark Hamill wrote:
Crushed to hear we lost Paul De Meo – I owe him & Danny Bilson SO much! It was their outside-the-box creative courage that game me the opportunity to play my 1st super-villain: The Trickster – YEARS BEFORE The Joker!
In his later years, De Meo moved over to writing for video games, with some of his most recent work being for Company of Heroes and its sequel, as well as Devil's Third.