The penultimate episode of The CW’sArrowwas designed as a backdoor pilot for aGreen Arrow and the Canariesspin-off. However, the network has officially pulled the plug on the Katherine McNamara-led series after months of speculation regarding the future of the project.
WithArrowconcluding its eight-season run after launchingThe CW’s lucrativeArrowversefranchise, the network began developing a female-led spin-off with McNamara, Katie Cassidy, and Juliana Harkavy set to reprise their roles from the series. Directed by Tara Miele from a script penned by a team of writers that includedArrowshowrunner Beth Schwartz & co-creator/executive producer Marc Guggenheim, the backdoor pilot for the spin-off was set in 2040 and found McNamara’s Mia living a happy life without the memories of her pre-crisis exploits. However, the disappearance of Helena Bertinelli’s daughter Bianca prompts Cassidy’s Laurel Lance and Harkavy’sDinah Drake to recruit Mia on a mission to rescue Bianca, convincing her to assume to Green Arrow mantle from her late father Oliver Queen.
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Following the conclusion ofArrow, Guggenheim informed fans that a decision regarding whether or not The CW wouldpick up Green Arrow and the Canarieswould be announced in May 2020. However, months passed without an official update on the spin-off, leaving the future of the project in doubt. Now,Deadlinereports The CW has officially decided it will not move forward with theGreen Arrow and the Canariesspin-off,despite having once considered running the series on the CW and HBO Max. The WarnerMedia streaming service became the home of the network’s newer shows after its output deal with Netflix ended.
Fortunately forArrowfans, the legacy of the series will continue on The CW’s remaining DC shows. ActorDavid Ramsey, who portrayed John Diggle onArrow, will reprise his role in Arrowverse shows such asSuperman & Lois,Supergirl,The Flash,andBatwoman. Furthermore, Ramsey will portray a ‘mystery character’ onDC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which fans suspect could be Green Lantern considering Diggle was last seen onArrowmoving to Metropolis after finding a green ring.
In addition to the aforementionedSuperman & Loisseries, The CW plans to expand the Arrowverse line-up with aBlack Lightningspin-offcentered on Jordan Calloway’s Painkiller. Much likeGreen Arrow and the Canaries, thePainkillerseries will launch with a backdoor pilot featured in the final season of its preceding show.
Black Lightningitself will conclude after four seasons, just over a year after the series was officially integrated into theArrowverseby the events of theCrisis on Infinite Earthscrossover event. Until then, theBlack Lightningshowrunners envisioned the series as existing within its own universe and initially had no intention of connecting it to the Arrowverse.
