Big news out of the Arrowverse — star Stephen Amell announced on Twitter that the eighth season of Arrow, the series that kicked off the CW’s DC TV universe, will be it’s last.
The eighth season will only consist of 10 episodes, as opposed to the usual 23.
In his tweet, Amell expressed his gratitude for the last several years, writing, “Playing Oliver Queen has been the greatest professional experience of my life… but you can’t be a vigilante forever.”
He goes on to thank the fans for everything over the course of the Arrow’s run, saying, “There’s so much to say… for now I just want to say thank you.”
Playing Oliver Queen has been the greatest professional experience of my life… but you can’t be a vigilante forever.
Arrow will return for a final run of 10 episodes this Fall.
There’s so much to say… for now I just want to say thank you.
— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) March 6, 2019
Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Beth Schwartz, Arrow’s executive producers, also issued a joint statement, which reads:
This was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision we’ve made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of Arrow in mind. We’re heartened by the fact that Arrow has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come. We’re excited about crafting a conclusion that honors the show, its characters and its legacy and are grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and — more importantly — the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years.
Throughout its current season, Arrow has often hinted that Stephen Amell’s character Oliver Queen, may not be long for this world. Amell has also implied that he’s ready to move on when his contract was complete.
There was talk that someone could take over the Green Arrow mantel, like Queen’s newly introduced sister. Instead, Arrow will be concluding with Oliver maintaining his alter-ego.