Posted in: Arrow, CW, Preview, TV | Tagged: arrow, arrowverse, stephen amell, the cw, The Flash

Arrow Star Stephen Amell: The Flash Final Season Return Would Be "Fun"

To say that The CW's Grant Gustin, Candice Patton & Danielle Panabaker-starring The Flash is carrying a ton of weight on its shoulders would be an understatement. With an abbreviated 13-episode final run, showrunner Eric Wallace & the writers not only have their own storylines to wrap up in some way but also offer Arrowverse fans some sense of closure. With the season halfway finished with filming, excitement levels grew when it was confirmed that Javicia Leslie would be appearing during the show's final run, reprising her role as Ryan Wilder/Batwoman as well as Red Death (Hmmm…). But could the final season also include an appearance from Arrow star Stephen Amell, who last appeared in December 2019's The Flash S06E09 "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three" (directed by David McWhirter, with a teleplay by Lauren Certo & Sterling Gates and story by Wallace)? In a recent Instagram Live stream, Amell responded to fans out there speculating that he could return before the Arrowverse officially closes its doors. And though he hasn't been asked (apply the "Andrew Garfield" rule), it's definitely something he would be into. "People ask me if I'm going to come back for 'The Flash' final season. I guess you're just going to have to watch," Amell offered before adding a follow-up to temper the rumor mills. "Haven't been asked, but, you know, that'd be fun." Not just fun, but also very fitting.

Stephen Amell Celebrates The CW's Arrow 10-Year Anniversary

On October 10th, Amell posted a video showing where he found himself on that day as he worked on ADR for the second season of STARZ's Heels. After a number of reschedules, Amell was back on the Warner Bros. lot and back to the Arrowverse series' old production stomping grounds. In the video below, Amell shares some very touching sentiments with the fans and the folks who helped make the series a foundational success. It's also worth checking out for the tour group he surprises and ends up posing for photos with before moving on. But before that, here's Amell's tweet honoring the anniversary… with an interestingly fun little teaser at the end: "Deep down… you gotta wonder if the suit still fits…":

Stephen Amell Dishes on The Arrowverse

Back in August 2021, when he was a guest on the Hero Nation podcast with Deadline Hollywood's Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro, Amell was open and honest about the final two seasons. Basically, he didn't want to come back for them. From a creative standpoint, he believed that the show had "done everything" it could after six seasons and that the filming structure had become too formulaic. Amell also found it "frustrating" how the series was always passed over for recognition and awards consideration. While Amell makes it a point of giving individuals their due, it was pretty surprising to hear just how creatively burnt out he was by the time the sixth season wrapped. So who convinced him to stay? Arrow producer Greg Berlanti– and it looks like it took Amell becoming "Green" Arrow in an entirely different way for it to happen.

"I just thought that I had another year, and I thought that I had more in the tank, more that I wanted to share with this industry and this career that I've chosen, and I wanted to be inspired again," Amell explained. "So Greg Berlanti, who's way smarter than I am, as evidenced by his prolific nature in film and television, convinced me… He basically put me to a place where it would've been fiscally irresponsible to not do a seventh season and then complete it with a truncated eighth season." During his appearance on the Inside of You podcast with host Michael Rosenbaum in November 2020, Amell revealed that there was a time over that 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 of Arrow, he decided to give Berlanti a call. 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:

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