Stephen Amell Cast As Lead in "Baywatch" Reboot

Stephen Amell has landed a lead role in Fox‘s reboot of “Baywatch” .

This is the first confirmed casting for the series, which was picked up for the 2026-2027 broadcast season by Fox back in September 2025 with a 12-episode order. Principal photography is set to begin this spring in Los Angeles.

Amell will play Hobie Buchannon, described as the “wild child we all loved from the original series” who “is now a Baywatch Captain, following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Mitch.

“Hobie’s world is turned upside down when Charlie, the daughter he never knew, shows up on his doorstep, eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy and become a Baywatch lifeguard alongside her dad.”

The role keeps Amell in the broadcast world, as he recently led the short-lived “Suits” spinoff “Suits LA” at NBC.

He is best known for playing the lead role in the hit CW series “Arrow,” which aired for eight seasons. 

Amell also played the role of Oliver Queen, a.k.a Green Arrow, across multiple CW DC superhero shows in that time. His other recent credits include the Starz pro wrestling drama “Heels” and the films “Code 8 Parts 1 & 2.”

Hobie Buchannon appeared in the original “Baywatch” across multiple seasons, where he was played first by Brandon Call and later by Jeremy Jackson.

The series originally debuted in 1989 on NBC. It aired for one season on that network before moving into syndication for the remainder of its 11-season run, during which it aired nearly 250 episodes. 

It was renamed “Baywatch: Hawaii” for its final two seasons as production moved to the island state from California. A reunion TV movie aired on Fox in 2003.

At its peak, “Baywatch” was the most-watched show in the world, airing in over 200 countries. The ensemble cast included David Hasselhoff as head lifeguard Mitch Buchannon and helped launch the acting careers of stars like Pamela Anderson, Jason Momoa, Yasmine Bleeth, and Carmen Electra.

It also spawned the short-lived spinoff, “Baywatch Nights,” and was rebooted as a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron in 2017.

Nix is an executive producer on the reboot along with McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz.

McG will also direct the series premiere episode. The series is co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle.