Arrow: Stephen Amell Offered to Return for Season 9 Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

When Arrow ended its run after eight seasons earlier this year, no one could have predicted just how different television would look by the time fall rolled around — and we’re not talking about the state of The CW’s Arrowverse. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, fall television has been very different thanks to the pandemic shutting down film and television production and imposing intense safety regulations for those that have been able to resume — including a strict two-week quarantine for actors travelling to Canada, where most of the Arrowverse shows film. But according to Arrow star Stephen Amell, he had a worst-case scenario solution to The CW’s problems: just bring back Arrow for a ninth season.

In a recent appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Amell said that with everything being so weird when it comes to COVID-19 and television production in Canada, he simply called up Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti to suggest that they should just bring Arrow back for a ninth season.

“I called Greg up and said just that,” Amell said. “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.’”

Amell went on to explain that when Berlanti questioned his seriousness, he was quick to assure him that he was.

“I go, ‘Yeah, of course, I’m f**king serious. Again, I hope it doesn’t happen. But, can we at least put it on the radar,’” Amell said.

Realistically, resurrecting Arrow is something that probably would have been unlikely for a variety of reasons, but the pandemic has seen some surprising shifts in the television landscape. There have been series that were initially expected to return for additional seasons — such as ABC’s Stumptown — that ultimately ended up cancelled due to the pandemic. Regarding The CW specifically, the network pushed their fall television schedule to debut in early 2021.

As for Amell, though, the actor doesn’t have to worry about bringing Oliver Queen back from the dead. Amell is at work on his upcoming wrestling drama, Heels and you can check out the official description for that series below.

“Written by Michael Waldron (Loki), with Mike O’Malley set as showrunner, Heels is about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals — one of them played by Amell — war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy, and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel (Amell). But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.”

In the ring, Amell’s Jack Spade is the charismatic villain, or heel, of the Duffy Wrestling Association (DWA). In the real world, he’s its hard-working owner, a husband and father trying to make ends meet while fighting to realize his impossible dreams. He has the mind of an artist in the body of a warrior, and a Steve Jobs-ian need for perfection — and for control. He says he’ll do whatever it takes to build the DWA into an empire. Will he go so far as to risk his marriage, or his relationship with his brother?”

What do you think about Amell’s idea to bring back Arrow? Let us know in the comments.