‘Arrow’s Stephen Amell Says Oliver Stays in Prison Longer Than Everybody Expects

Arrow returns for its seventh season on Monday and for series star Stephen Amell, it’s a season that feels very different from the previous ones and it seems like it will feel very different for fans, too. According to Amell, Oliver Queen’s time behind bars will go longer than fans might hope.

In a recent Facebook Live, Amell chatted with fans and answered some of their questions, including one about just how long Oliver will be incarcerated. While Amell didn’t give away any spoilers, what he did say makes it clear that the Green Arrow isn’t going to be free again anytime soon.

“The seventh season feels really unique,” Amell said. “We’re gonna hit 150 episodes in episode 12, which is amazing. We’re only doing 22 instead of 23 which doesn’t sound like a lot, but I promise you it is, and I just saw how long do you think Oliver is going to be in prison for. I will say, longer than everybody expects.”

This isn’t the first time that Amell has said Oliver’s prison tenure will not be brief. Speaking with ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con in July Amell said something very similar to his Facebook remarks, noting that the script for the never-produced Green Arrow live-action film “Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max” might not have an influence but that jail was a real thing for the hero in Season 7.

“I don’t know if that’s going to influence it, but Oliver is definitely in jail and I think that he’s going to be in jail I think longer than people expect,” Amell said.

At the end of Season 6, Oliver made a deal with the feds to gain their assistance in dealing with the threat of Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo). That deal? He would plead guilty to the charges brought against him for his crimes as Green Arrow and be sent to Slabside Super Max Prison for life. The whole dealing with Diaz thing didn’t work out particularly well, but Oliver still went to prison and it’s something that Amell told Variety recently has been an intense experience for him professionally.

“He’s in prison,” Amell said. “That’s it. … I’ve had very, very intensive work when I’ve been working, but one of the things I’m very, very proud of this year, is I didn’t know if when Oliver went to prison, I’d be working every day, and we wouldn’t see a lot of the [other] cast members. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure those stories continue. Oliver is an element of the show, but he’s also isolated from everyone. The stuff I’ve been doing has been labor-intensive, but I’ve then had big breaks.”

How long do you think Oliver will actually be in prison during Arrow‘s seventh season? Let us know your best guess in the comments below.

The Season 7 premiere of Arrow, which is titled “Inmate 4587”, will debut on Monday, October 15th at 8/7c on The CW.