Arrow season 9 release date 2023

Arrow star Emily Bett Rickards has not given up on season 9 just yet, even if she hasn't heard a thing about the show's potential return. Originally premiering on The CW in 2012, Arrow was an incredible success for the network, spawning the cinematic universe known as the Arrowverse with numerous spinoffs and crossover specials. Following the adventures of Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, the series starred Stephen Amell alongside Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, and more. Rickards also starred as Felicity Smoak throughout the entire series.

After enjoying a successful run on television, Arrow wrapped up in 2020 with the end of its eighth season. We are now living in the age of series revivals and reboots, so it's more clear than ever that a TV series ending doesn't necessarily mean it won't be continued one day. With that in mind, Rickards recently told MovieWeb during an exclusive interview that she is up for a return, even if it happens in 10 or so years from now. As the actress tells us:

"I haven't heard about season 9 yet... I was speaking about Veronica Mars earlier today, and how I was such a fan... and when you know, the sort of fandom comes back, or for a movie, or another set, it would be interesting to pick up where those characters are at in 10 years or 15 years. Maybe some more time in between. We can all get older and a little bit more wrinkly, and people won't want to even believe it's us."

Veronica Mars was able to get on the revival train fairly early. The series originally aired on The CW before concluding after three seasons in 2007, but series star Kristen Bell returned for a feature film revival in 2014. That was followed by a fourth season of the series which went straight to streaming on Hulu in 2019. While it was pretty well-received by fans, the new season wasn't given a renewal, but fans still found it enjoyable to check back in with these same characters years later. Clearly, Rickards would be more than happy to see the same thing happen with Arrow.

Arrow Is Over But the Arrowverse Lives On

The CW

There may be no immediate plans to give Arrow another season, but the Arrowverse is still going strong. The spinoff series The Flash has broken out as a big success as well and has a ninth season in the works for a 2023 release. Superman & Lois has also struck well with viewers and has a third season in development. Meanwhile, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow were canceled, so not every Arrowverse series has achieved the same levels of success as Arrow.

The essence of Arrow still remains as its title is still present in the Arrowverse name. That is despite The CW previously attempting to rebrand the name of the cinematic universe by dubbing it as The CWVerse, but by this point, the Arrowverse name had been too well established and the new name just didn't stick. As the series that started it all, Arrow perhaps has the best chance of a revival someday compared to the other Arrowverse shows that have been axed.

Arrowverse actor Stephen Amell celebrates Arrow's 10-year anniversary with a special video message. The Arrowverse has been one of The CW's biggest flagship franchises alongside The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural universes. Executive produced by Greg Berlanti, the Arrowverse got its start with Arrow in October 2012, starring Amell as Oliver Queen. Arrow was a dark re-imagination of the Green Arrow mythology, which took inspiration from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, as it told Oliver's origin story and saw him become Star City's great protector.

Arrow ran for eight seasons with a total of 170 episodes, bringing the show to an end in January 2020 after Oliver sacrificed himself to save and reboot the Multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Thanks to Arrow's success, it allowed multiple spinoffs to come to life, including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and many more. Despite the Arrowverse's success, 2022 became a controversial year for the franchise as several shows got canceled, with only a few DC TV shows returning in 2023.

Exactly 10 years ago, the Arrow pilot premiered on The CW, and in light of its anniversary, Stephen Amell shared a special video message on Instagram. In the video, Amell was talking about how crucial Arrow was and still is to his career, as he thanked everyone who was involved with making the show, as well as the passionate fans that tuned in for 8 years. Check out Amell's extended video statement above:

How Stephen Amell Could Return To The Arrowverse After Arrow

Despite Oliver's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Amell could still return to the Arrowverse almost three years after Arrow's end. In the Earth-Prime tie-in comic, which is canon to the franchise, Oliver returned as The Spectre, and the final issue ended on a cliffhanger with Amell's character still present. Since The Flash season 9 is the only Earth-Prime show that is returning in 2023, the final season could potentially see Amell reprise the character and wrap up the cliffhanger from the tie-in comic. It would be a fitting option as The Flash was directly set up by Arrow as the first Arrowverse spinoff.

It's bittersweet to see the Arrowverse turning 10 years old due to the fallout at The CW, but it doesn't erase all the success that Arrow and the franchise had for a full decade. If it weren't for Amell's show, the interconnected DC TV universe wouldn't have been born, and The CW would never have had their annual Arrowverse crossover events. Despite the Arrowverse seemingly winding down on the network, Arrow's legacy will continue to live on and find a new audience through Netflix and Blu-ray and DVD releases.

Next: Arrow: Why Oliver Ended Up With Felicity (Not Laurel)Source: Stephen Amell/Instagram