The Flash Season 9: Arrow’s Stephen Amell Pitched “This Extra Thing”

The news that Rick Cosnett, Matt Letscher, and Jessica Parker Kennedy were returning for the ninth & final season of The CW’s Grant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash), Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen) & Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow)-starring The Flash was just another example of the impressive line-up of familiar faces set for the Arrowverse series’s final run. Speaking with TVLine earlier today, showrunner Eric Wallace explained how the social media-breaking news of Stephen Amell‘s return came about. “It’s a two-pronged answer. I called up Greg [Berlanti] and said, ‘I have a crazy idea. What if Oliver Queen came back….,’ and I pitched the story. He was like, ‘I love it; let me call Stephen.’ So he called Stephen, then called me back: ‘Stephen loves it! Talk to him, pitch him the idea,” Wallace shared. “So I got on the phone with Stephen — and this is all happening within a span of 18 hours, mind you — and I walked him through it.” And that’s when things got really interesting, with Wallace adding, “He [Amell] said, ‘I love it. But can we do this extra thing…?'”

Of course, Wallace shared what that was… right? Nope, though he did share his response to Amell’s idea: “Let’s do that! That’s fantastic.” And for anyone wondering how Amell’s Oliver Queen is back among the living, Wallace isn’t saying – other than to reassure some that “we don’t change what has happened in the eight seasons of Arrow” and that that “honor all of that.” As for the end of the episode, Wallace also warns that a lot of “feels” out there are going to be kicked. “There won’t be a dry eye in the house at the end of that episode,” Wallace teased regarding what’s to come. “It’s extremely emotional.”

The Flash S09E01 “Wednesday Ever After” & S09E02 “Hear No Evil”

The Flash Season 9 Episode 1 “Wednesday Ever After”: SEASON PREMIERE – Barry (Gustin) creates a map book to guide him and Iris (Patton) throughout their future in order to keep her safe, but the results are not what he expected, and instead, they relive the same day over and over again. Joe (Martin) has a heart-to-heart with Cecile (Nicolet). A new big bad is introduced to Team Flash, and friends and foes, old and new, begin to descend upon Central City. Vanessa Parise directed the episode with the story by Eric Wallace and teleplay by Thomas Pound & Sarah Tarkoff.

The Flash Season 9 Episode 2 “Hear No Evil”: NEW KID IN TOWN – Barry (Gustin) feels guilty for what happened to Caitlin, and Mark (Cor) comes up with a plan which makes everyone skeptical. Meanwhile, Red Death looms in Central City and commands that failure is not an option. Joe (Martin) asks Cecile (Nicolet) to make a choice which leads Cecile to think about the greater good. Allegra (Kayla Compton) and Chester (Brandon McKnight) take a step in a new direction. Lastly, old friends pay an unexpected visit to S.T.A.R. Labs. Eric Wallace directed the episode written by Jonathan Butler & Kristen Kim.

After defeating the Reverse Flash once and for all, the 13-episode Season 9 picks up one week later following their epic battle, and Barry Allen (Gustin) and Iris West-Allen (Patton) are reconnecting and growing closer than ever before. But when a deadly group of Rogues descends on Central City led by a powerful new threat, The Flash and his team – Caitlin Snow (Panabaker), Meta-Empath Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet), the light-powered meta Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), brilliant tech-nerd Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight), and reformed cryogenics thief Mark Blaine (Jon Cor) – must once again defy impossible odds to save the day. But as The Rogues are defeated, a deadly new adversary rises to challenge Barry Allen’s heroic legacy. And in their greatest battle yet, Barry and Team Flash will be pushed to their limits in order to save Central City one last time. Joining the cast for the show’s final run are Javicia Leslie (Ryan Wilder/Batwoman), Nicole Maines (Nia Nal/Dreamer), Keiynan Lonsdale (Wally West/Kid Flash), David Ramsey (John Diggle/Spartan), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow), Rick Cosnett (CCPD Det. Eddie Thawne), Matt Letscher (Eobard Thawne(s)/Reverse-Flash), and Jessica Parker Kennedy (Nora West-Allen/XS).