Robbie Amell's sci-fi drama The Tomorrow People may have been cancelled, but it looks like he won't need to clean out his CW locker after all. The actor, who also happens to be the cousin of Arrow star Stephen Amell, has been cast to play the role of Ronnie Raymond in Arrow spinoff The Flash.
Variety says that Robbie Amell has been cast in The Flash, playing Ronnie Raymond -- also known in the DC universe as Firestorm -- in the anticipated superhero spinoff. Amell's character will be introduced in the third episode of the first season. According to the site, Ronnie is a maintenance worker at S.T.A.R. Labs and he plays an "integral part" in the particle accelerator accident that rendered Barry Allen comatose (and eventually super-fast). Ronnie also happens to be the fiancé of Dr. Caitlin Snow, who's played by Danielle Panabaker.
At this point, it sounds like this is a recurring role, but it does sound like it's a pretty notable one, especially when we consider the possibility that Ronnie Raymond may be (or will become) Firestorm. He'd likely make a good ally for Barry/Flash. In the DC universe, Firestorm has the ability to transmute elements. Will The Flash's Ronnie Raymond be able to manipulate fire? That remains to be seen.
Prior to playing the starring role in CW's short-lived drama The Tomorrow People, Robbie Amell played a father-to-be in the also short-lived (and under-appreciated, in my opinion), NBC comedy 1600 Penn. Amell's other credits include Revenge, Alcatraz, Hawaii Five-0 and Pretty Little Liars.
It was one thing when Robbie Amell joined his cousin Stephen at CW, as they were starring in in two separate series that weren't related in any way beyond the network on which they aired. This casting is a bit different, as Robbie Amell's character exists in the same universe as Stephen's Oliver Queen, though they're on separate series. The characters are presumably unrelated, but who knows? Given the connection The Flash has to Arrow, added to Robbie Amell's noticeable resemblance to Stephen, I expect it to be kind of surreal, seeing Robbie Amell on The Flash, especially if Oliver Queen drops in for a visit and the two share some screen time.
Whether or not we see an Amell-Amell collision on The Flash (or Arrow for that matter) is unknown, but the actors' off-screen connection is a cool added tie-in, and it'll be interesting to see whether it's acknowledged at all on The Flash when Ronnie Raymond shows up.
The Flash premieres Tuesday, October 8 on CW. Watch the extended trailer here.
