James Callis Joins Arrow, Cylon Hallucinations Not Likely to Follow

Arrow has already wooed one Battlestar Galactica actor into its clutches, with Tamoh Panikett appearing just a few weeks ago as… well. A mafia guy who knows Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress, I think. I haven’t caught up on the show since the Royal Flush Gang made their debut. But the actor behind Helo Agathon isn’t alone in making the migration to the CW show. Now, Arrow will be pulling Gaius Baltar in as well.

From TV Guide:

[James] Callis will play The Dodger, an elusive international jewel thief who imposes his plans on the innocent, forcing them to carry out his crimes under duress. When the Sherwood Ruby goes missing in Starling City, the ensuing investigation leads Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Diggle (David Ramsey) straight to The Dodger, but apprehending him won’t be as easy as they may have thought.

The Sherwood Ruby, eh? Cute. Certainly I can’t fault the show for taking a page out of Sherlock‘s book by having a villain force others to be the instrument of his crimes against their will, that was an incredibly effective plot element. A British master thief named Dodger indicates that Callis’ character is inspired by the Dodger, a fairly recent addition to the expanded cast of Green Arrow, introduced in 2008 as a villain, who eventually wound up working with heroes against the League of Assassins and striking up a relationship with Mia Dearden, Ollie’s sidekick.

Callis’ BSG character straddled a very difficult line of making you care about one of the most cowardly, selfish, egotistical traitor on television, so it’ll be good to see his acting chops in scifi again.

(via ScreenRant.)