‘Arrow/Flash’ Spinoff Series to Feature Atom & Firestorm

[Fnord]

While Warner Bros. and DC Comics are beginning to flesh out their cinematic universe with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice next year, on the television side, The CW is also expanding its shared DC universe. During season 2 of Arrow, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) was introduced before appearing on his own show, The Flash, last fall.

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.

What do you think of The CW's spinoff plans?

[Mike Powers]

We seem to be reaching a critical mass of comic book shows/movies.

[Tezmission Black]

Ya know I love that comic books are getting a lot of attention, but at some point they are gonna over-saturate the market.

[Tritch]

Ya know I love that comic books are getting a lot of attention, but at some point they are gonna over-saturate the market.

I understand this sentiment, but I disagree. Superheroes are the one thing that never seem to die. The characters and stories never get old, as you can see by the fact that many of the characters appearing in these movies and TV shows have been around for decades in the print and cartoon market. I do agree that they are trying to take on too much at one time, and the growth of success will likely begin to slow, but I don't see it ever becoming over-saturated because people love this shit.