The Flash debuted to The CW’s best premiere ratings since 2008 and has since featured highly-rated crossovers with its predecessor Arrow. Now, The CW is developing a third series in its DC universe that will include previously established characters as well as some that will be new to TV.
Deadline is reporting a new spinoff is in the works at The CW that is being described as a “superhero team-up show” which will feature characters from both Arrow and The Flash. Brandon Routh and Caity Lotz of Arrow are set to star with The Flash’s Victor Garber and Wentworth Miller. Additionally, the series will reportedly include three DC Comics characters who have never before appeared on a TV series.
Greg Berlanti, co-creator of Arrow and The Flash, will executive produce the series with Flash co-creator Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim, and Warner Bros. executive Sarah Schechter. Reportedly, the spinoff may be ordered direct to series and debut early in 2016.
Routh, Garber, and Miller are expected to reprise their roles as Ray Palmer a.k.a. The Atom, Dr. Martin Stein, and Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold respectively. However, as Lotz’s character, Sara Lance a.k.a. Canary, was killed earlier in Arrow’s season 3 it’s unclear whether she will play the same character or a new superhero.
This series has long been in the works at The CW and has recently been alluded to both by members of the network as well as the shows themselves. Earlier this year, both CW President Mark Pedowitz and Guggenheim discussed the possibility of Routh appearing in a spinoff series. Additionally, the recent Firestorm-focused episode of The Flash seemed to indicate the show – and the network – was building to something more than a one-off episode.
However, what that “something more” could be is unclear at this point since this particular cast list leads to some major questions: How will Firestorm be featured if Robbie Amell’s character Ronnie Raymond (a.k.a. the other half of Martin Stein’s Firestorm) doesn’t appear? How can Lotz be included in the series when her character was killed off previously in the continuity?
The spinoff may heavily feature flashbacks or entirely take place prior to these characters’ introductions on Arrow and The Flash. Or, given the characters involved (that is, if Lotz does reprise her role as Canary), it’s also possible this spinoff series could be the “Justice League on TV” referenced by Arrow star Stephen Amell late last year. Or, since this particular cast – Routh Garber, Miller, and Lotz – have not interacted at all within The CW’s DC TV universe, the spinoff may feature separate arcs for each character.
Since so little is known about this spinoff aside from a few characters, it’s difficult to get a real sense for what the show will look like once it premieres. However, if the series doesn’t debut until 2016, there’s still plenty of time for The CW to confirm more actors/characters and announce an official premise for the spinoff.
The Flash airs Tuesdays @8pm on The CW. Arrow airs Wednesdays @8pm on The CW.
Source: Deadline