Ever since 2012, actor Stephen Amell has been unequivocally attached to the DC Comic-verse as Arrow's bearded vigilante, otherwise known as Oliver Queen. That era is ending relatively soon, though, with Arrow coming to a close in early 2020. But don't expect the emotional Amell to lazily ruminate on his superhero glory days. After already landing a new show a few months back, Amell is now set to co-lead a second new TV series that will co-star his Arrow-verse-friendly cousin Robbie Amell.
Stephen Amell and Robbie Amell are set to reunite in the upcoming series Code 8, which is an episodic spinoff of the sci-fi thriller that the two actors made together. (It will be released on Friday, December 13, which isn't ominous at all.) Interestingly enough, the Code 8 series was picked up by the in-development streaming service Quibi, as founded by Hollywood producer and former Disney studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The Code 8 film was crowdfunded through Indiegogo, based on the quality and popularity of a 2016 short film of the same name that the two Amell cousins filmed and executive produced. The basic story is that 4% of the world's population is born with supernatural power of differing kinds, but they are feared by the public far more than they are glorified.
In the world of the film, where drones and guardians monitor everything, Robbie Amell plays Conner Reed, a man with just such abilities, with Stephen Amell taking the role of Garrett, a drug dealer who also happens to be telekinetic. Garett gets Conner involved in the drug life so the latter can attempt to earn money for his sick mother.
Quibi's Code 8 series will take place years after everything that went down in the movie, according to Deadline. Amell's Conner Reed will be an ex-con when the season starts off, and he'll be forced to reteam with Garrett in order to dismantle a city's trafficking ring being run by high-profile citizens and corrupt cops.
It's intriguing that Quibi so quickly got invested in Code 8 even before the film was released to the public, since it's fairly unknown just how popular the project will even be when it hits theaters. However, the company does have proof of fans' faith in the Code 8 movie, considering how successful the crowdfunding campaign was. Though Stephen and Robbie Amell were initially only looking for $200,000 to fund the feature, more than $2.4 million got raised, with over 27,000 donors spreading the love. Check out the trailer for the movie below!
Code 8 will bring the director and writer of the feature back for the TV series. Jeff Chan, who helmed the previous iterations, will get behind the camera once more, while Chris Pare will be penning the series' scripts.
For those unfamiliar, Quibi's claim to fame is that it's producing 100% shortform entertainment series with episodes that will last from 3-15 minutes. Launching on April 6, the company has already lined up a ton of exciting projects to attract early subscribers. Stephen Spielberg is writing a horror anthology show called Spielberg's After Dark, Justin Timberlake is getting a docu-series, Reno 911! is getting revived, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile, Stephen Amell is also set to follow up Arrow with the Starz drama Heels, which will take place within the world of professional wrestling. Given Amell's past with the WWE, it's a strangely natural avenue for the actor to travel down next. Now we know that won't be the only thing he's got cooking in 2020. That show will also star Alexander Ludwig, whose show Vikings is also ending soon.
While its theatrical reach might not go so far, Code 8 will make its debut on Friday, December 13. And remember to keep an eye out for Amell's final performance as Oliver Queen when Arrow returns to The CW for it last episodes in 2020.
