Law & Order alum Jesse L. Martin is set to co-star opposite Grant Gustin in the CW pilot The Flash, based on the DC comic. The project, from Warner Bros TV and Berlanti Productions, is an origin story about Barry Allen aka The Flash (Gustin), a Central City assistant police forensics investigator who arrives in Starling to look into a series of unexplained robberies that may have a connection to a tragedy in his past. Martin will play Detective West, an honest, blue-collar cop who is a surrogate father to Allen. This is a familiar territory for Martin, who is probably best known for his nine-year stint as Detective Ed Green on NBC’s Law & Order. He had been approached for several pilots before choosing The Flash.

Related: TCA: CW’s Mark Pedowitz Touts Pilot Model Success, “Bullish” On ‘Reign’ & ‘Flash’

Originally envisioned as a backdoor pilot episode of Arrow, Flash will now film a regular pilot. The move is clearly geared toward a series pickup as a stand-alone pilot would allow the series to “start off with a bang” the way Arrow did with its pilot episode, the CW president Mark Pedowitz said last week, adding that he is “bullish” on the project. Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and series scribe Geoff Johns wrote the pilot, with Nutter, who helmed the pilot for Arrow, directing. Berlanti, Kreisberg and Nutter executive produce, with Melissa Kellner Berman co-executive producing.

Related: CW’s ‘The Flash’ To Do Stand-Alone Pilot Instead Of ‘Arrow’ Backdoor Pilot Episode

Martin, repped by ICM Partners and Bob McGowan of McGowan Management, is filming the Marvin Gaye feature biopic Sexual Healing. He plays the tragic R&B singer in the film, which has been a passion project for him.

