Filming in Vancouver: Arrow to complete filming of its final season

This year will mark the end of an era for the Vancouver screen scene on two fronts.

One is the forthcoming conclusion of the extremely long-running TV series Supernatural—but that won’t happen until this spring.

Something that will happen much sooner—this week, in fact—will be the end of the filming of the TV series that’s at the centre of the Arrowverse.

Here’s a quick look at the show that launched a whole universe of superhero TV shows shot in Vancouver.

Alas, it’s true—Arrow will not only shoot its last arrow but also its last episode.

The series began shooting Season 8 on July 11 and will complete filming 10 episodes this Thursday (November 14).

The series revolves around Oliver Queen, played by Canadian actor Stephen Amell, who uses his bow and arrow to fight crime and corruption as costumed vigilante Green Arrow in Star City (originally known as Starling City).

On social media, Amell posted a number of messages about his final days on set, including that he was wearing the Arrow costume for his last time.

https://twitter.com/StephenAmell/status/1191569308691787776

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https://twitter.com/StephenAmell/status/1194042397786722304

The cast includes David Ramsey, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy Rodgers, Ben Lewis, Joseph David-Jones, William Clayton, LaMonica Garrett, and Connor Hawke.

Emily Bett Rickards does not appear in Season 8 as Felicity Smoak, as she left the series in the Season 7 finale. However, she will make a guest appearance in the finale.

Arrow spun-off numerous—pun alert—offshoots shot in Vancouver, including DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and the most recent addition: Batwoman, which formed the Arrowverse, or TV series adapted from DC Comics.

That’s in addition to the animated webseries Vixen and Freedom Fighters: The Ray; the short-lived Constantine, which wasn’t shot in Vancouver; and Black Lightning, which isn’t shot in Vancouver and wasn’t a part of the Arrowverse but has been reported to be part of the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event involving Arrowverse shows from December to January.

There’s also some potential hope for more in store.

An upcoming episode in this season will serve as a potential pilot for a spin-off TV series entitled Green Arrow and the Canaries, featuring Katherine McNamara, Juliana Harkavy, and Katie Cassidy Rogers.

Season 8 of Arrow premiered on October 15.

The series finale—get ready to sob—will be broadcast on January 28, 2020. So there’s still some time left to prepare to say goodbye.

Meanwhile, another long-running show from The CW that’s also shot in Vancouver, Supernatural, will be finally coming to an end later on with its last episode of Season 15.

But there are still quite a few months left—the series keeps shooting until April 2, 2020, and the finale has been scheduled to air on May 18, 2020.

As sad as goodbyes are, such is the nature of the ever-changing local screen industries. But the upside is that when one show leaves, another one arrives in its place.

And we’ll have plenty more news about all of these comings and goings in future columns so until we meet again, have fun Vancouver-spotting on a screen near you.