The ninth season of The Flash is bringing to an end another big part of The CWs slate of DC content, and according to writer Eric Wallace, it could have potentially see the return of the Legends of Tomorrow cast in order to give that cancelled series a proper conclusion. However, as Wallace explained, the drastically reduced episode count of The Flash’s final run meant there simply wasn’t enough time to do it. He told The Nerds of Color:
"There was originally -- when I had hoped that we'd [have] 20 episodes -- but my original concept was to have at least one [episode] -- if not a two-parter -- that wrapped up Legends of Tomorrow, and you know, there [would] be a little crossover. We get them back, we get them out of time jail, all these good things, Booster Gold, etc, etc. When we found out we only have 13 episodes, that was no longer possible. We barely have enough time to wrap up things with Barry and Iris' upcoming family let alone who is Danielle Panabaker playing now, so there wasn't enough time. So unfortunately, we're not going to be able to wrap up the Legends storyline which I know is very disappointing to the fans. It's disappointing to me. But we just don't have the bandwidth.”
Many DC fans were shocked last year when The CW revealed that many shows would not be returning for more seasons, including Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and Naomi. In addition to that, other popular series such as The Flash and Stargirl will be ending this year, and the future of Superman & Lois and new series Gotham Knights is currently not certain by any means. As The CW continues to reduce its scripted content volume, it seems that no shows are safe.
The Final Season of The Flash Will See the Return of Stephen Amell as Green Arrow
While The Flash may not be bringing back the Legends of Tomorrow, the ninth episode of the new season will feature a familiar Arrowverse face in the form of Stephen Amell, who will reprise his role as Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. Speaking previously about getting the actor back into the universe, Wallace commented:
"I called up Greg 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.' 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. He said, 'I love it. But can we do this extra thing…?'" Wallace continued to explain how Amell wanted to do a specific storyline. "'Let's do that! That's fantastic.' And the call ended with [Amell saying], 'I'm in. Let's make this happen.' It happened that fast."
The final season of The Flash will kick off on February 8 on The CW.