Grant Gustin Breaks Silence After Flash Final Season Announcement In Emotional Video

08/05/2022 02:34 pm EDT

The Flash is set to run one final race, with a ninth season set for release on The CW in 2023. After giving the news a few days to set in, series star Grant Gustin took to social media today to thank the fans for their support and express his excitement about the ninth season, saying that he plans to have as much fun as he possibly can with every minute of this final outing. The actor delivered a short speech, looking and sounding a little emotional about the prospect of ending the role that will likely come to define his career.

The series launched in 2014, spinning out of events in Arrow, which ended in 2020. It was at one point one of six shows -- Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman -- that combined to be the "Arrowverse," an interconnected, shared universe of DC superheroes on The CW. When The Flash wraps up in 2023, it will be the last of those six on the air.

"This week we announced that season nine of The Flash will be the final season, which is bittersweet," Gustin said. "It's been an incredible nearly ten years of playing this character and getting to be a part of this show with an amazing cast and crew, and so much love from you guys -- from the fans, people who love the show. It's the only reason we've got to do this as long as we have. And I'm very excited to do this one final time, finish on our terms, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it as much as I can. I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the show and allowing us to go as long as we have and I could not be more honored to be associated with this character probably for the rest of my life and career."

You can see the video below.

"Nine seasons! Nine years of saving Central City while taking audiences on an emotional journey full of heart, humor, and spectacle," said The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace in a statement when the end was announced. "And now Barry Allen has reached the starting gate for his last race. So many amazing people have given their talents, time, and love to bring this wonderful show to life each week. So, as we get ready to honor the show's incredible legacy with our exciting final chapter, I want to say thank you to our phenomenal cast, writers, producers, and crew over the years who helped make The Flash such an unforgettable experience for audiences around the world."

While The Flash may not have had the same ecstatic reviews in recent seasons that it did in the beginning, it continued to be a big show for The CW, averaging over 1 million linear viewers every week and ranking among the network's most-streamed shows on its various digital platforms.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.