RIDDICK Actor Matt Nable Will Play Ra’s Al Ghul On ARROW

Sorry, Liam Neeson. You won’t be returning as the Demon’s Head for television. First announced by Stephen Amell over social media, former rugby player-turned-actor Matthew Nable (Riddick) will play Ra’s al Ghul in the third season of Arrow. The iconic leader of the League of Assassins will debut in the show’s 50th episode, titled “The Magician.” Hmm, does the title imply that this universe’s Ra’s al Ghul has supernatural methods, or, like his Nolanverse counterpart, does he simply rely on cheap parlor tricks?

Ra’s al Ghul was only mentioned throughout Arrow season 2 (with his daughter Nyssa acting as the main representative of the League of Assassins), but viewers were still able to get a sense of how dangerous this man was. Anyone who’s intimidating enough to make Malcolm Merlyn go into hiding shouldn’t be trifled with. He is describe as “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.”

Although there hasn’t been any more specific details released on this incarnation of Ra’s, executive producer Marc Guggenheim did hint at San Diego Comic-Con what the show’s approach to the character will be.

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. We really wanted our Ra’s to be very different — at least our own Arrow-ified version.

Having never seen any of his work, I can’t comment on Nable’s acting ability, but this looks like another outside-the-box casting from the Arrow people. Honestly, what I’m wondering about right now is whether he’ll rock the Australian accent for the role. That would give Oliver Queen two arch-nemeses from the Land Down Under, even though Deathstroke actor Manu Bennet is actually from New Zealand.

SOURCE: Twitter and Hollywood Reporter