The Walking Dead, The Wire alum joins Arrow cast
It was recently reported that the big bad in season 5 of Arrow would be a criminal mastermind, loosely based on the character of Stringer Bell from HBO’s brilliant The Wire. Who better to play him then, than an alumnus of that very show? Chad L Coleman, who is best known for playing Dennis ‘Cutty’ Wise in The Wire and Tyreese in The Walking Dead, will play the new character of Tobias Church.
Chad Coleman as Tyreese – The Walking Dead _ Season 5, Gallery – Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC
The character is described as “an imposing gangster looking to unite the various criminal enterprises in Star City under his own singular command.” which should prove to be an interesting challenge for Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow.
Coleman is a pretty imposing guy physically, which could lead to some impressive smack downs between him and various members of the team over the course of the season if things do come to blows. I hope though, given the mention of Stringer Bell, that Church will be more cerebral, intent on building his criminal empire through cunning, connections and business sense, rather than getting his hands dirty in person. Bell, who was played by Idris Elba in the HBO show, had come from the streets but was an aspiring business man, he was heavily involved in the criminal world portrayed in the series but had aspirations of becoming a legitimate business man.
Arrow Season 5 is also said to answer questions regarding Oliver’s time in Russia and his Bratva tattoo/connections as well as introducing the character Wild Dog, a vigilante to be played by Rick Gonzalez.
