Posted in: Arrow, Batwoman, Black Lightning, CW, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: arrow, arrowverse, black lightning, bleeding cool, cable, cwverse, grant gustin, heels, melissa benoist, michael rosenbaum, podcast, stephen amell, streaming, supergirl, television, The Flash, tv

Arrow Star Stephen Amell: The CWverse Change "F**king Pi**ed Me Off"

In some ways, it feels like we've been reporting just as much on Stephen Amell and Arrow as we did when the series was still on the air. Recovering from a back injury he sustained while filming his upcoming STARZ indy wrestling-set series Heels, Amell made news regarding his old CW stomping grounds when he discussed how COVID almost lead to a ninth season of Arrow during a recent visit to the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast. From there, Amell threw some gasoline onto our brains' dumpster fires of speculation when he posted an image of himself with Supergirl star Melissa Benoist and The Flash star Grant Gustin, with Amell and Benoist in black-n-white while Gustin was in color alongside a "too soon" caption.

Well, it turns out one of the reasons he may be considering returning is to preserve the show's legacy in the title "Arrowverse." For those of you who (hopefully) forgot, The CW attempted to rebrand the Arrowverse universe of series (The Flash, Supergirl, etc.) as "The CWverse" (I know, right). Well, let's just say that Amell wasn't a big fan of the attempted "title coup", telling Rosenbaum that it "fu**ing pi**ed me off." In the clip below, Amell and Rosenbaum try to understand the logic behind attempting the change, what Amell will miss most about being active in the Arrowverse, and more:

And here's a look at the "The CWverse" trailer in question:

Also during his interview with Rosenbaum, Amell revealed that there was a time over the summer when production on Heels was riddled with huge question marks. But since Amell was already quarantining, wanting to work, and on stomping grounds that he got to know for eight seasons as the star of a certain "Arrowverse" series, he decided to give someone a call. That someone? Greg Berlanti. Amell's pitch: he's already in the area and since The CW shows might be having issues getting American actors over the border, why not whip up another season of Arrow- or at least keep it "on the radar," as Amell asked Berlanti to do. Now while things have straightened out on the Heels end of things, it does go to show that fans have every right to hold out hope. Besides, Amell even refers to Michael C. Hall's return to Dexter (as he did on Twitter) to demonstrate the importance of never saying never (if you know what he means… *wink-wink*):

STARZ's Heels focuses on the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals — Jack Spade (Amell) and Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig, Vikings) — war over their late father's legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.

In the ring, Amell's Jack Spade is the charismatic villain, or heel, of the Duffy Wrestling Association (DWA). In the real world, he's its hard-working owner, a husband, and father trying to make ends meet while fighting to realize his impossible dreams. He has the mind of an artist in the body of a warrior, and a Steve Jobs-ian need for perfection — and for control. He says he'll do whatever it takes to build the DWA into an empire. Will he go so far as to risk his marriage – or his relationship with his brother, Ace?

Ludwig's Ace Spade is the beloved hero and star of the DWA. Things are more difficult in the real world, where he struggles to reconcile his town idol status with his insecurities and demons. He's brash, cocky, and self-destructive — yet so damn charming and good-looking that you can almost forgive him. If he can keep it together, he'll have a ticket out of Duffy and to the big time. But that's a big if…

Written by Michael Waldron (Loki), directed by Peter Segal (Shameless), and with Mike O'Malley serving as showrunner, the series also stars Chris Bauer (For All Mankind), Kelli Berglund (Animal Kingdom), Broadway actress/musician Alison Luff, Allen Maldonado (The Last O.G.), James Harrison (S.W.A.T.), and Mary McCormack (The Kids Are Alright). Waldron and O'Malley are also set to executive produce, alongside LBI Entertainment's Julie Yorn, Chris Donnelly, and Patrick Walmsley. STARZ and Lionsgate TV produce.

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