Sometimes it’s good to keep things in the family.

Cassandra Jean Amell—who, yes, is married to Arrow’s Stephen Amell—has just been cast in the The CW’s upcoming Arrowverse crossover as Nora Fries. That’s the wife of Mr. Freeze, for anyone who not fully up on their Batman lore.

This is a fascinating announcement for a variety of reasons. First, it sheds some more light on the upcoming crossover, which is sounding more exciting with each of these casting announcements we get. We know that Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman is return, and we learned earlier today that Lois Lane has been cast as well. Earlier this summer, it was revealed that this year’s crossover will take place in Gotham and feature actress Ruby Rose as Batwoman (in a role that could spin off into her own series). Now we know that at least one half of the Fries family will factor into the story. Whether this means the crossover will take place prior to Nora’s fateful illness (if, in fact, the show chooses to follow that storyline) or whether she will have been somehow revived, as she has in some comic book iterations, remains to be seen.

It’ll also be undeniably fun to see the Amells share the screen together, especially in what will likely be one of the biggest Arrowverse stories of the season. Born in Houston, Cassandra got her start on America’s Next Top Model and has since forged a career as an actress on shows like Mad Men, One Tree Hill and Hart of Dixie. While she’s undoubtedly pretty familiar with the DC Universe at this point (or at least, the world of Green Arrow), this will be her first time playing a character who comes from it.


Photo by Violeta Meyners

This, however, won’t be the first time we’ll be seeing Nora Fries in live action. As Bat-fans likely remember, she was seen frozen in cryostasis in 1997’s Batman & Robin and more recently made a memorable appearance on Gotham, played by Kristen Hager. Still, more Batman characters in the Arrowverse is a pretty exciting development, and we’re eager to see if any others may join the ranks.

So, what do you think about all of today’s #DCTV news? Are you excited to see Cassandra and Stephen Amell onscreen together? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to tune in for the crossover when it kicks off on Sunday, December 9th with The Flash on The CW!