Monthly Archives: January 2021

Green Arrow and the Canaries Spinoff Not Happening

Even as The CW continues to add new shows to its Arrowverse lineup, one potential spinoff series won't be moving forward at the network. Variety reports Green Arrow and the Canaries is now "officially dead." The news isn't necessarily surprising, given the lack of updates surrounding the Arrow spinoff. Green Arrow and the Canaries was first announced back in September 2019, as Arrow was beginning its eighth and final season. The penultimate episode of Arrow served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff, which would have featured Mia Queen (Katherine McNamara), Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy) and Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) defending Star City 20 years in the future. But since Arrow's finale, there's been little word on Green Arrow and the Canaries, even as The CW fast-tracked the first season of Superman & Lois and announced new superhero series like Wonder Girl and Naomi. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=arrows-best-episodes&captions=true"] In IGN's review of the backdoor pilot, we wrote, "As an epilogue to Crisis on Infinite Earths, 'Green Arrow and the Canaries' mostly hits the mark. It explores the ramifications of Crisis in an unexpected way, using that to flesh out the relationship between Mia Queen and John Diggle, Jr. and establish a shared new status quo for both Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake. What this episode fails to do, however, is justify building an entirely new series around the new plot threads introduced here. The new Arrow is shaping up to be a little too much like the old. That's not a recipe for success." It remains to be seen whether the futuristic plot threads introduced in that episode will be continued in another form, or if McNamara, Harkavy or Cassidy will reprise their roles elsewhere in the Arrowverse. Given the fact that DC's Legends of Tomorrow revolves heavily around time travel, that series could easily tie up the remaining loose ends from Arrow. Or there's always the possibility of Green Arrow and the Canaries being reworked to become an animated web series, similar to CW Seed's Vixen and Freedom Fighters: The Ray. The CW's decision to shutter Green Arrow and the Canaries comes on the heels of news that Supergirl will end with the upcoming Season 6 and Black Lightning will end after Season 4. However, with Superman & Lois premiering in February 2021, Stargirl migrating from DC Universe in Season 2, the announcements of the aforementioned Wonder Girl and Naomi and rumors of a Black Lightning spinoff focused on Painkiller, the Arrowverse doesn't look to be getting any smaller in the years to come. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/18/crisis-on-infinite-earths-crossover-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

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UK Comic-Cons Aiming to Hold Physical Events in 2021

Convention and event organizer ReedPop has announced it will resume some physical events in 2021 in London and Birmingham.

ReedPop says that “provided it can be done safely,” MCM Comic Con will return to London on October 22-24. MCM Birmingham will run from November 13-14. A series of “virtual Metaverse events” will be held throughout the spring and summer.

MCM Comic Con London and Birmingham will be the only physical events held throughout 2021, ReedPop said in a statement. MCM will not host its March event in Birmingham, nor a May event in London. Manchester and Scotland events are also not part of ReedPop’s calendar through 2021.

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Tickets will become available online “in the coming months” prior to each event, along with additional information on each show’s health and safety measures.

In the meantime, eager UK and EU fans will be able to access ReedPop’s spring Metaverse and virtual events throughout the summer. ReedPop says its virtual experiences will provide “a 365-day celebration of all things pop culture,” and will offer exclusive content, merch, and celebrity interactions.

"We want to thank our fans for waiting patiently during this challenging and unprecedented time while we focus on bringing them the best pop culture events in the UK in a safe, responsible and fun way,” said Teresa Heitor, MCM Comic Con event director at ReedPop. “The enjoyment and wellbeing of our attendees, guests and community remains our top priority. We can’t wait to gather with you all again and until then, our team remains hard at work to continue creating events with the superior quality content and show experiences that we know our fans expect.”

With the vast majority of 2020 events having been canceled due to COVID-19 safety concerns, convention goers are likely eager to return to physical events. With the UK beginning to roll out the Pfizer vaccine, it’s possible that regional and national government bodies may rescind certain COVID-19 restrictions.

ReedPop is also responsible for New York Comic Con, C2E2, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, Crunchyroll Expo, and numerous other events, although the company did not include any mentions of additional events in its statement.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.