It’s been over two years since The CW’s flagship Arrowverse series, Arrow, came to an end. While it seemed like the series' legacy could continue in the form of Green Arrow and the Canaries, a spinoff set in 2040 that follows Oliver’s daughter, Mia as the new emerald archer alongside Lance and Dinah Drake, the network officially canned the series last year. Now, Katie Cassidy is opening up about the decision, and why she believes it was actually a good thing.
Katie Cassidy portrayed Laurel Lance/Black Canary/Black Siren throughout Arrow’s eight-season run and became a fan favorite. So it was no surprise that the network considering bringing the character back for the proposed series, which had a backdoor pilot (starring Cassidy, Kat McNamara, and Juliana Harkavy) air towards the end of the parent show's final season. While promoting her new spy thriller Agent Game, Cassidy spoke to ComicBookMovie.com about the axed spinoff. The actress shared her honest thoughts about it, and it sounds like she was ready to to begin a new chapter in her career:
[Shakes Head] No. I say this in the most respectful, kind, realistic way…we really, really milked that cow. Like, c’mon. You evolve, you grow, you…I love learning and I love acting, but also, I started in features and I’m stepping back into [them]. I’m directing this movie with Marina Studios that I’m also producing called Daddy Issues. I’m writing and tapping into this creative side of me that I’ve never had time to because I’ve been acting. I’ve loved acting my whole life, but I want to grow. It’s not that I wouldn’t have loved for the show to go [ahead] because I loved working with everyone, but let’s do something different! Let’s shake some shit up! [Laughs]. We know about the superheroes. We’ve been there. What’s next? There were vampires with the Twilight thing, and superheroes have been cool for a decade and will forever be cool, but let’s go to aliens again or, I don’t know, monsters. Things evolve, and then maybe we’ll go to space with aliens and monsters.
The actress' feelings are understandable, especially since she was on the original show for such a long time. Although it’s clear that the superhero series will always hold a special place in her heart, it was simply time for her to move on. She may not be open to playing Laurel on a regular basis anymore, but she could always return for a guest spot. Her former co-stars have done this. David Ramsey was making the rounds across the universe last year (ahead of his reported Justice U series), and Kat McNamara showed up in The Flash’s “Armageddon” event.
Not only that, but it seems another one of her colleagues would love to have her back. In October 2021, Legends of Tomorrow star and former Arrow actress Caity Lotz revealed that she’s “always pitching” ideas for Laurel Lance to appear on the series. Legends is the most reasonable Arrowverse series for the character to appear on, given its unpredictable nature, and I'd personally love to see it happen.
Of course, such a gig would have to line up with Katie Cassidy's busy schedule, highlighted by her newest project. According to Deadline, her upcoming directorial debut, Daddy Issues, which she also co-wrote with Maria Betrand and Meg McCaig, focuses on three women who must wrestle with how their fathers have impacted their lives. Cassidy will also star in the film and produce it.
With this, perhaps the Supernatural alum can simply direct an episode of Legends of Tomorrow or another Arrowverse series instead of making an appearance. That would certainly serve as a consolation prize of sorts for some fans who'd love to see her working within the superhero franchise. For fans like myself, it's sad that Green Arrow and the Canaries didn't get picked up, but I'm glad to see Katie Cassidy is getting to try some new things in her professional life.
