Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
The CW developing future-set Arrow spinoff series following The Canaries
Arrow may be ending this fall, but The CW is already looking toward the future of its shared DC Universe on television — and is looking to keep a piece of its flagship series going into the next generation.
According to Variety, the network is developing a potential spinoff series centered around the all-female crime-fighting team known as The Canaries: Katherine McNamara (Mia Smoak), Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance), and Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake). Not only that, but an episode of Arrow's eighth and final season will also serve as a backdoor pilot for the potential new show, which is being executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Beth Schwartz, Marc Guggenheim, Jill Blankenship and Oscar Balderrama. As always, the project falls under the banner of Warner Bros. Television.
All three Canary actors have appeared in Arrow numerous times. For example, Cassidy appeared in the first-ever episode, but died in Season 4, only to come back two seasons later (albeit as her alt-universe doppelganger). McNamara made her Arrowverse debut last season and was promoted to a series regular for the impending final one. Lastly, Harkavy's been around since Season 5 and has crossed over to other DC shows on The CW.
As for the story itself, it will presumably be set in the future version of Star City that was a key factor in the "flash forwards" introduced last season on Arrow. That arc followed a future team of heroes (most notably featuring Oliver and Felicity's grown-up daughter Mia, played by McNamara) as they work to save Star City years in the future. Older versions of current characters have already popped up this season in the flash-forwards, and with that story set to continue in the show's final season, it makes sense the network would explore finding a way to keep this fresh venue open beyond Arrow's shortened final run.
Setting this potential spinoff in the future of the Arrowverse would also afford some new creative freedom, as those characters would be operating in a world years beyond whichever new crossovers The Flash and Supergirl get wrapped up in over the next few seasons. In addition, this offshoot could end up being a really great small screen companion to the big budget Birds of Prey film coming from Warner Bros. and director Cathy Yan early next year.
Season 8 of Arrow premieres Tuesday Oct. 15. It will consist of 10 episodes and tie into the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in December.
