'Smallville's Justin Hartley Is Open to Appearing on 'Arrow'

The Arrowverse may have set itself apart from the comic book television that came before it, but [...]

The Arrowverse may have set itself apart from the comic book television that came before it, but it sounds like one DCTV veteran wouldn't mind joining in on the fun.

Justin Hartley, who played Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on Smallville, was recently asked about the possibility of him making a guest appearance on Arrow. As Hartley revealed, he wouldn't be opposed to the idea, if it was in the right context.

"If it was the right part, yeah." Hartley told Smallville co-star Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast. "I love interesting characters. Yeah, if it was something that I could get excited about, yeah, of course."

For diehard fans of Green Arrow, this is sure to be a pleasant surprise, especially considering the different ways Hartley and Arrow's Stephen Amell have portrayed the character. It also would mark one of Arrow's first major cases of "legacy casting", or bringing in actors who previously portrayed DC Comics character.

Over the years, some of Arrow's sister shows have delighted fans with this "legacy casting", from The Flash's John Wesley Shipp to... about half of the guest stars on Supergirl. Hartley would also be the latest Smallville alum to enter the universe, after Laura Vandervoort and Erica Durance both have appeared on Supergirl.

"We love it, and we think the fans love it," Supergirl EP Robert Rovner said of Durance's casting last year. "We love seeing people that we know and are familiar with step into other roles. And what's great about them is that they're all wonderful actors as well. So, you get the excitement of seeing them in the new role but they also bring a lot when they take on these new characters."

And as it turns out, those involved with Arrow have thought about bringing Hartley into the fold in some manner.

"I really want to have Justin Hartley on the show in a cameo," former executive producer Marc Guggenheim revealed back in 2012, "and everyone will hopefully laugh and we come up with a clever enough cameo."

Considering what we know about Arrow's seventh season - namely, the ways that it will break the status quo - a cameo from Hartley certainly doesn't feel completely impossible. After all, with Oliver currently stuck in a SuperMax prison following the events of the season six finale, it sounds like the show's ensemble will be in a new spot.

"The idea now is: If Oliver's in prison, is he actually more protected than the team?" Emily Bett Rickards, who plays Felicity Smoak, explained earlier this month. "The rest of the team is all going to be in danger as well. Where that puts Felicity and William, I mean, we can only do so much to protect them."

Would you like to see Justin Hartley make a guest appearance on Arrow? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Arrow will return Mondays this fall at 9/8c on The CW, following new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow.

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