Stephen Amell Comments On Casey Jones In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

This weekend, Arrow star Stephen Amell attended Fan Expo Vancouver 2015. While he was there he participated in a Q&A session with fans and was asked several times about his new role as Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.

Amell kicked things off with a light hearted comment. “I’m just glad I get to play a vigilante on the big screen,” he joked. That is more than likely a reference to Amell being vocal in the past about wanting his Oliver Queen to be used in WB’s newly-formed DC cinematic universe.

When the news was announced last week, most people thought Amell was a good fit as Casey Jones and Arrow have a lot in common. “Obviously, the similarities are right there on the surface, he’s a vigilante,” Amell acknowledged. “But, if the audition process and the script are any indication the character is going to be fundamentally different. As a matter of fact, it is almost like the character of Casey Jones – at least in this iteration of Ninja Turtles – is almost like the Oliver Queen people know from the older comic books.”

CW’s Arrow is heavily influenced from Mike Grell’s more grounded approach, which made Oliver Queen more of a man and less of a superhero. I believe his comparison of Casey Jones and Oliver Queen from the older comic books has more to do with them being regular guys trying to do the best they can in their crazy worlds filled with super-powered creatures and out-this-world technology.

Then Amell explained why it was so important to take a movie role even though he currently stars in a hit-television series. “As much as I enjoy playing Oliver Queen it is very important to me to stretch out a little bit,” Amell said. “And believe me, I know I’m playing another vigilante. I know this! You’re going to have to trust me when I say that not only is Casey Jones different from Oliver Queen, but filming a big feature film is really different than filming a television show.”

Amell says the enthusiasm that director David Green (“Earth to Echo”) had for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles really helped sell him on the film. Amell stated, “One thing that I’ve learned from being on Arrow is that if the people that write and direct and create the shows aren’t fans of the source material and don’t get the community than the show’s not gonna be any good.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 will arrive in theaters June 3, 2016.