‘Arrow’ season 5 won’t have Colton Haynes — at least for now

Earlier this summer, there was reason to be hopeful for a Colton Haynes reprisal on “Arrow.” Now, that hope may be locked in a cell alongside Slade Wilson on the island. It’s still out there, but you don’t quite know when it’ll return to do awesome stuff again.

Here’s what we know: Colton seems to love doing the show and being Roy Harper. At the same time, he’s got a gig coming up on “Scream Queens,” and that’ll keep him busy for a while. Meanwhile, “Arrow” is busy doing what we can best describe as Vigilante Training Academy. You’ve got Mad Dog, Artemis, and a slew of other people who are hopefully going to be compelling entertainment. (Can’t actually say if they will be just yet.) They’ve got their fill of story right now.

Meanwhile, “Arrow” would like him back if the stars align. Executive producer Wendy Mericle made that clear via TVLine:

“We would have Roy back in a heartbeat … If the right circumstances come up and the right storyline presents itself, absolutely.”

We figure there are a million reasons to bring Roy Harper back: He’s physical, he’s got a history with Thea Queen, he’s got a good rapport with the cast, and there are probably still hundreds of people cosplaying as him at various conventions. Our perception is this: If you’re popular enough to be cosplay material, odds are that you are doing something right. There are many a story reason to bring him back, such as the other members of Team Arrow being in danger.

New episodes of “Arrow” start airing this October. Maybe we’ll get a chance to revisit this discussion a little later in the year.

Before you go, why not check out some Diggle scoop? It’ll give you a sense as to what lies ahead for him…

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