Ray Richmond contributes to Deadline’s TCA coverage.

UPDATED: The Flash will appear in three episodes of the CW‘s Arrow this coming season before headlining his own spinoff series. The information was shared this afternoon by the three writers — Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and series scribe Geoff Johns — behind the Flash project. an origin story of Flash’s Barry Allen identity. The episodes, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 20, will be penned by the trio, with David Nutter, who helmed the Arrow pilot, committed to directing Episode 20. Kriesberg also confirmed during the conference call today that the actor who portrays Barry Allen will play him as “an ordinary man” when viewers meet him in Episode 8. “The character will be as grounded and realistic as possible,” he said. “That’s how we’ll get to know him. Then his life will get a bit faster.” He added that the surrounding characters in Arrow will react to Allen “in a very realistic way,” noting that they “won’t be treated as commonplace on the show but as extraordinary events.” Kreisberg added: “It will be fun for the audience to see how we do our take on The Flash’s powers. Some will feel very familiar to those who know the comics, and other stuff will feel different yet fresh and exciting.” Berlanti noted, “That said, he does need powers to become The Flash. And he will be The Flash. He will wear a red costume, and he will go by that name.”

Related: CW Eyes ‘Flash’ Series With ‘Arrow’s Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & David Nutter

In replying to a question of why embark on a series about The Flash rather than any of the other Justice League superhero characters, Kreisberg cited the fact he was Berlanti’s favorite character growing up. “There’s something very relatable about Barry. He got his powers by accident, they just sort of came to him…He also isn’t a dark and tortured soul.” Added Berlanti at TCA earlier in the day, “We think it fits well both in terms of (Arrow) and (as a stand-alone series).” He added that there’s a wide belief that Flash fits better as a television spinoff than would other characters in the DC Comics universe.

The next step is to “write a great script and find an amazing actor to play the part,” Kreisberg said. Casting on the role will begin this week, with casting director David Rapaport, who cast Arrow, also working on The Flash. Kreisberg also stressed that great pains will be taken to have the effects and overall tone of the forthcoming series comprise something “fresh and new and exciting, and give people a real cinematic experience in TV the same way they’ve gotten it from Arrow.”