If you are sick and tired of watching flashback sequences from Oliver Queen's past on the island of Lian Yu, the good news is that there won't be any after Arrow Season 5. And it appears that the upcoming season's flashbacks will be a lot more interesting than those in the previous seasons.
The CW series has added Rocky IV and The Expendables star Dolph Lundgren to portray a big baddie in the flashback sequences, and they promise to be dark and gritty. In a recent interview with TV Line, here's what showrunner Wendy Mericle says about the Arrow Season 5 flashbacks:
We really wanted to go gritty, dark, and make it feel very real. We're dealing with the Bratva, and the Bratva is, as we all know, a pretty interesting and messed-up institution.
She jokes that she "might get shot for saying that"!
Wendy reveals that the entire creative team of Arrow Season 5 has watched David Cronenberg's 2007 flick Eastern Promises to develop a better understanding of Bratva and the Russian mafia. The showrunner, herself, has watched "documentaries about Bratva and how they operate in Russian prison".
During the interview, Wendy Mericle also discusses Dolph Lundgren's character in Arrow Season 5. She says:
[Dolph's character] is a government strongman. He is scary and formidable "” and he had a role in some stuff with Taiana's family last season. He's a bit of a badass.
It remains to be seen whether the flashbacks will tie directly into the show's present-day storyline and whether Dolph Lundgren's character will make a trip to Star City as Manu Bennett's Slade Wilson did.
But one thing is for sure: Stephen Amell's character won't be dealing with magic and mysticism this season, unlike the last one. They will be returning to the show's street-level roots in the upcoming season.
He is getting ready for Arrow Season 5! (GIF via Tumblr)
