A member of Team Arrow departed the series tonight. Arrow executive producers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim discuss the exit.
Warning: This story contains major spoilers for Arrow season 3, episode 19, “Broken Arrow.”
In Arrow season 3, episode 19, “Broken Arrow,” Roy went to jail in the place of Oliver. He was threatened repeatedly before being shanked and apparently killed. However, it was revealed that Roy survived; he planned his arrest with Felicity and Diggle. One of Lyla’s contacts stabbed Roy without killing him, drugged him to fake his death, and smuggled him out of Iron Heights. Roy then left Starling City to start a new life.
Deadline confirms that Colton Haynes has left Arrow as a series regular, though his future in the universe isn’t over.
According to Berlanti, they knew Haynes’ time on the show was limited. “When he was coming off Teen Wolf, we described the role to him, and we agreed he would do it for a couple of years,” he explains.
“At that particular moment, he had a lot of opportunities to do things, and we’re lucky he chose us. He brought a lot of notoriety and viewership to the show when we were growing, and the show wouldn’t be the show it is without him. He is such a talent and such a nice guy, everybody from crew to writers were so enthusiastic to have him for the time we had him. We are sad to see him go but excited to see what he does next.”
As for how Roy’s arc would play out in season 3, Guggenheim says, “We were able to design his arc for the season with the end point in mind. We always knew he would take a heroic stance and redeem himself for his actions. It’s always a blessing when you know where exactly you are going to end up.”
The plan was never to kill Roy in his redemption, though. “We wanted to do something different. These characters are so young, they represent the next generation of superheroes, and we love the idea of having them just out there,” Berlanti says.
“And as a person we like Colton so much, we all would love to see him back. Such a talented, great guy.”
Adds Guggenheim, “The hope is that he’ll continue to be part of the universe we are building. We love working with his so much. We’ve talked to him about returning to one of the three shows, and if available, he has expressed interest. He is gone, but definitely not forever.”
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW.
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