‘Arrow’ Spin-Off With Laurel, Dinah and Mia In The Works
‘Arrow‘ may be done by early next year, but we could be getting a direct spin-off series, as news arrives that a “backdoor pilot” with Laurel, Dinah and Mia will be slipped into Season 8.
The new show would feature Katie Cassidy Rodgers as Laurel Lance, Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake, and Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak. It seems the idea is for Mia to follow in her dad’s footsteps and pick up the mantle of Green Arrow. The idea will be tested as a “backdoor pilot” during an episode of the Season 8 run of ‘Arrow’.
McNamara’s Mia is the kick-ass daughter of Felicity and Oliver, who was introduced via the 2040 flashforward timeline in Season 7. Since Season 6, Harkavy has played the Dinah Drake version of Black Canary, who also appeared in the 2040 timeline. Cassidy Rodgers’ has played various version of Laurel Lance over the seasons. She began as Ollie’s ex and a legal aid attorney, before taking up the mantle of Black Canary. When the character was killed off, she returned as the villainous Earth-2 version of Laurel using the moniker Black Siren. She eventually changes her ways and reverts back to the side of good. She also appears in the 2040 timeline, works as part of the vigilante team known as the Canary Network.
Whilst they don’t explicitly say when the series will be set, the inclusion of Mia does rather suggest the drama will sit in the 2040 timeline, although that isn’t confirmed. With all the Crisis stuff coming up, there is the possibility of some timey-wimey shenanigans, with Mia somehow ending up in Arrowverse present day. However, given they upped McNamara, Ben Lewis (William Clayton-Queen), and Joseph David-Jones (Connor Hawke) to series regulars for the final season, plus added Charlie Barnett (‘Chicago Fire’) as John Diggle Jr into the mix, it seems more likely they are building up the 2040 universe for use in the spin-off. We already know Laurel and Dinah are around in that time, so that would make more sense.
The “backdoor pilot” is being written by Beth Schwartz, Marc Guggenheim, Jill Blankenship and Oscar Balderrama, and comes from Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros Television. The episode will appear in the ‘Arrow‘ Season 8 run, which premieres in October on Sky One in the UK.
