Arrow has found Ra's al Ghul.
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Riddick star Matt Nable has been cast as the prolific DC Comics villain on The CW comic-book drama, joining the third season in a recurring role. The Australian actor will first appear in the fourth episode, "The Magician," also Arrow's 50th milestone.
The leader of the League of Assassins and father of Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law), Ra's is proud and unforgiving. A ruthless strategist, a master of martial arts and a shaper of history, Ra's carries the wisdom of the ages and protects some of its greatest secrets.
Star Stephen Amell first revealed the news on Twitter, shortly after a new 90-second season-three trailer made the rounds. Ra's' presence was first revealed in a lengthy season-three trailer unveiled at Comic-Con.
"We have a really clever way of doing Ra's this year that is true to the comic-book origins but different from the way Ra's was portrayed in the [Christopher] Nolan movies. You don't want to compete with Batman Begins, even though we've always said Batman Begins was a big influence on us," executive producer Marc Guggenheim told a handful of reporters at Comic-Con. "We really wanted our Ra's to be very different — at least our own Arrow-ified version."
Ra's al Ghul has been a looming figure on Arrow since the start of the series, with his presence felt more astutely in the second season. His daughter, Nyssa, was the first from the al Ghul family to appear on Arrow, though other characters have League of Assassins ties.
In fact Nyssa "will absolutely play into the season and we have a really cool arc planned," Guggenheim hinted. "The first time we see Ra's [in the third season] is a scene between him and Nyssa."
Nable, a former rugby player, is the latest addition in an Arrow guest cast that includes the Atom/Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), Wildcat/Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez), Felicity’s mother (Charlotte Ross), Maseo (Karl Yune), Katana (Rila Fukushima), a new Count Vertigo (Peter Stormare), Felicity's college ex (Nolan Funk) and Mark Shaw/Manhunter (David Cubitt).
Nable is repped by Greene & Associates, Sue Barnett and Intellectual Artists Management. Other credits include Killer Elite, TV series Underbelly, Bikie Wars and East West 101.
Arrow returns Oct. 8 on The CW.
