Stephen Amell wanted The CW to know Oliver Queen’s return was on the table if actors were unavailable during lockdown
The unexpected disruption on The CW’s schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led Arrow star Stephen Amell to make a surprise offer to fill the gaps: undo the Season 8 finale and bring the show back for a ninth season.
Amell revealed his conversation with Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti in an appearance on the Inside of You podcast hosted by Michael Rosenbaum, reported ComicBook.com. “I called Greg up and said just that. I said, ‘Look, I hope this doesn’t happen, but if everything goes to sh*t and you guys can’t get actors up here because of issues about mostly American actors crossing into Canada, and if things can’t be figured out, here’s the deal, man. I’m here and if I have to stay here, I want to work. If I’m going to work, let’s just figure out a way to bring Oliver back from the dead.'”
The Arrow series finale aired in January and the COVID-19 pandemic reached North America two months later, causing production delays on the Arrowverse shows. One difficulty was a safety requirement that actors who enter Canada must quarantine for two weeks. The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow are filmed in Vancouver, BC, as was Arrow.
The CW pushed the season premieres of the Arrowverse shows to January and pledged to give them full seasons. On other networks, freshman shows Stumptown, I Am Not Okay With This and The Society were canceled because of delays and new safety costs.
Amell starred as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow over eight seasons of Arrow. Queen died during the “Crisis On Infinite Earths” crossover with Arrowverse shows Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. In the series finale, Queen reunites with wife Felicity Smoak in the afterlife in 2040.
Source: cbr.com