Should Green Arrow Be Recast For The Movies? Stephen Amell Weighs In

One of the most notorious debates among DC fans nowadays is whether or not the company should crossover their TV universe with their theatrical films. While the argument was somewhat put to rest with the casting of Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in the DC Extended Universe, a role already inhabited by Grant Gustin on The CW‘s The Flash, many fans still seem to be holding out hope that both universes will intermingle. At the center of many of these debates is none other than Arrow star Stephen Amell, who made headlines when The Flash’s casting announcement was made.

“I feel like it should be Grant doing the movie. But the important thing to remember is just because Grant Gustin plays the part of Barry Allen doesn’t mean Ezra Miller can’t also play Barry Allen. There can be different interpretations of the character.”

Many took only the first sentence of Amell’s quote as news, blatantly ignoring his immediate clarification of his true thoughts. At a recent panel held at Salt Lake Comic-Con, Green Arrow actor Stephen Amell took the opportunity to revisit his statements.

“I wasn’t mad that they didn’t cast Grant in the movie. What I called into question was the timing of the announcement. Which, I think I used the word ‘sucked.” And it did. After that interview came out, I felt the need to actually get in touch with a couple of people to clarify my position, to make sure that they knew that it’s not that I thought Grant had ownership of the role. Again, I just thought that the timing was less than appropriate. And I do.”

In custom Q&A fashion, Amell’s answer lead to another question that’s been berating fans for what seems like ages now. Should Green Arrow be recast in the movies? Amell’s answer was quite simple.

“I do not have a right to Oliver Queen. Someone played it before me. Someone voiced it before me. Somebody will play it after me. I don’t believe that there are plans for Oliver Queen in the DC Extended Universe, based off things that people have told me, but I would not be upset if that changed at all.”

So there you have it. Warner Bros. has made it pretty clear over the past few years that they have no plans on including the character in their films, but should that change, it would make sense for them to go with another actor. The movie and TV universes are being treated as separate entities after all and while there are ways that crossovers could occur with little problems, it’s not something that needs to be in the cards as of now. Amell doesn’t to mind, nor should he. He’s made a name for himself over at the CW and he shows no intention on leaving. Fans have him for the foreseeable future. Don’t believe me? Arrow season 5 premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Sources: ComicBook.com