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Arrow producer reveals Canaries spinoff series will be set in 2040, not the present day

By Trent Moore Nov 20, 2019, 9:31 AM ET

The CW

The status quo on Arrow has gone through some monumental shifts this season, with Oliver’s future children sent back to the present day to help out with the pending Crisis on Infinite Earths. But what does all that time travel mean for the proposed Green Arrow and the Black Canaries spinoff series about that future team?

Producer Marc Guggenheim has opened up on Twitter about the spinoff to confirm it does take place in the future, 2040 to be precise. When word broke about the project a few months ago, fans assumed it would be set in the future of the Arrowverse. But when the Crisis sent those future heroes back to the present day, fans started theorizing it might strand Oliver’s future children Mia and William (along with Diggle’s adopted son Connor) in the present to have them directly take up Oliver’s mission in the wake of Crisis.

The #Arrow spinoff takes place in 2040. We already spoiled that Oliver is dead by that time, so his not appearing in Arrow 809 (the spinoff episode) isn't affected by what happens in Crisis (or, for that matter, the series finale). https://t.co/BkrFGnj6Fl
— Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) November 19, 2019

But now we know that won’t be the case. With Guggenheim’s confirmation the series will be set in 2040, it indicates the future team will return to their proper place in the timeline once the Crisis crossover is complete. Which makes sense, as the backdoor pilot episode focused on the future team will be the first episode of Arrow to air after Crisis in late January, so it’s safe to assume the episode will follow the future team once they return home. The backdoor pilot will then be followed the next week by the proper Arrow series.

As The CW looks to diversify its superhero lineup, setting a story in the far flung future is definitely a way to do that. Letting the future team crossover with the present is proving a great way to tighten up that connective tissue, but it seems that’ll just be a temporary measure. Green Arrow and the Canaries will be set in the future.

But, who exactly will be taking up the Green Arrow mantle in 2040? Mia, Connor, Old Man Roy, someone else entirely? So many questions. Here’s hoping that backdrop pilot provides a few answers.

Arrow airs Tuesdays on The CW. Crisis kicks off next month.