'Arrow' Recruits Colton Haynes as Series Regular for Season 7

Arrow has added Colton Haynes as a series regular in season 7, reprising his role as Roy Harper.No [...]

Arrow has added Colton Haynes as a series regular in season 7, reprising his role as Roy Harper.

No word yet on whether he will bring his jacket and costumed identity of Arsenal with him, or whether Thea Queen -- Willa Holland, who recently left the show -- will get to keep it.

"We're very fortunate and excited to welcome back Colton to Arrow," the show's producers said in a statement. "While we've always enjoyed Colton's returns to the show, we couldn't be more thrilled to have him return as a proper series regular and we're very excited about all the creative opportunities Roy Harper's return affords us."

Haynes recently returned to Arrow for a two-episode arc during which he seemingly got hit happily-ever-after with Thea, his on-again/off-again love interest from the first three seasons. Haynes had left during the show's fourth season, after donning the Green Arrow costume in order to throw suspicion away from Oliver Queen. He later faked his death in prison and went on the lam to start a new life.

"I could not be happier to return to my role as Roy Harper alongside my Arrow family," Haynes said.

It is possible that Haynes may appear in the finale, which begins shooting soon; it would not be unusual for The CW to make a major casting announcement just before that actor starts filming, in order to avoid being spoiled by paparazzi on-set.

Haynes joined the series in the first season, and he became one of the first members of Team Arrow, suiting up as Arsenal while dating Thea in his personal life. The character left the show in the season 4 episode "Unchained," but Haynes has remained open to returning since, making a brief cameo in "Invasion!" and teasing repeatedly his season 6 return.

While he has not been a regular in some time, Haynes has remained supportive of the show and has consistently expressed his desire to return to Arrow as his schedule permitted. The actor left the show to take personal time, and after some time away from TV (and work on the big-budget movie San Andreas), he appeared last season on American Horror Story.

Arrow airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT following episodes of Supernatural.

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