Development At the
Television Critics Association winter press tour in January 2018,
The CW president
Mark Pedowitz said he was "optimistic" and "confident" about
Arrow and the other
Arrowverse shows returning next season, but added that it was too soon to announce anything just yet. On April 2, The CW renewed the series for its seventh season.
Marc Guggenheim and
Wendy Mericle stepped down as
showrunners at the end of the sixth season, replaced by veteran writer
Beth Schwartz as sole showrunner for the seventh season. Guggenheim, the series' co-developer, remains involved as an executive consultant.
Writing In May 2018, outgoing showrunner Marc Guggenheim revealed that the
Longbow Hunters, a villainous organization in
DC Comics, would be teased in the sixth-season finale before being introduced in the seventh season. Following the conclusion of the sixth season, which marked the first time in the series' history where the season's
main antagonist was still at large, Guggenheim's successor Beth Schwartz confirmed that
Ricardo Diaz / Dragon would return and, like his comic book counterpart, establish the Longbow Hunters, "a legendary group of assassins Diaz recruits to get back at Team Arrow for toppling his nascent criminal empire at the end of season 6." Schwartz revealed that "redemption" would be the theme of the seventh season, "since last season when Oliver outed his identity, the city is a little bit mixed about how they feel about the Green Arrow."
Stephen Amell commented that there is "nothing about [Oliver] that's heroic" in the season premiere. While Schwartz confirmed that other characters would be influenced by the season's theme, she stated that after
Black Siren committed several murders during her partnership with Diaz, she still has "a large way to go to redeem herself from last season." The previous season also left off with Team Arrow fractured and divided. This season sees its members redefining their roles and what it means to be heroes to an anti-vigilante
Star City, while honoring "the sacrifice Oliver made for them." The showrunner named Felicity's storyline as one of her favorites for the season's first half. "We played her pretty parallel to Oliver, where she's hiding and not being herself. She's in protective custody, but when someone attacks her family, she can't ignore that, so she has to fight back." Schwartz also said that the season would be "grounded" and have a "dark" tone, similar to that of the
first season. Schwartz said the seventh season would not be based on
David S. Goyer's scrapped film
Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max, which would have featured Oliver Queen being arrested, exposed as the Green Arrow, and attempting a
prison escape. Amell reported that the season would employ a new storytelling technique. This was later revealed to be sporadic flashforwards, as opposed to the weekly flashbacks of seasons past.
Casting Main cast members Stephen Amell,
David Ramsey,
Emily Bett Rickards,
Echo Kellum,
Rick Gonzalez,
Juliana Harkavy, and
Katie Cassidy Rodgers return from previous seasons as
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow,
John Diggle / Spartan,
Felicity Smoak / Overwatch,
Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific,
Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog,
Dinah Drake / Black Canary, and
Laurel Lance / Black Siren, respectively. The seventh season is the first not to feature original cast members
Willa Holland and
Paul Blackthorne, who play
Thea Queen / Speedy and
Quentin Lance, respectively, as series regulars following both actors' departures during the previous season. They did, however, reprise their roles for the series' 150th episode. On April 9, 2018, it was announced that
Colton Haynes would return as a series regular for the seventh season after previously starring in the
second and
third seasons and making guest appearances in the fourth and sixth seasons as
Roy Harper / Arsenal. On October 11,
Kirk Acevedo was promoted to series regular status after previously recurring in the sixth season as main antagonist, Ricardo Diaz / Dragon.
Sea Shimooka was introduced as a series regular during the season, playing Oliver's half-sister
Emiko Queen. Kellum exited the series during the season, making his final appearance as a series regular in the episode "
Star City Slayer". Acevedo also exited the series during the season, making his final appearance as a regular in the episode "
Brothers & Sisters". On March 30, 2019, Rickards posted on
Instagram that she would be leaving the series, making the seventh season her last as a member of the main cast. Series co-creator
Greg Berlanti and Schwartz confirmed her departure later that day. {{multiple image On July 21 at the series'
San Diego Comic-Con 2018 panel, it was announced that the Longbow Hunters had been cast with
Holly Elissa as
Red Dart, Miranda Edwards as
Silencer, and Michael Jonsson as
Kodiak. It was also revealed that
Michael Jai White,
Vinnie Jones, and
Cody Runnels would additionally recur as
Ben Turner,
Danny Brickwell, and
Derek Sampson from previous seasons. though her character was later revealed to be Oliver and Felicity's future daughter,
Mia Smoak / Blackstar. Jack Moore returned in the role of Oliver's son
William Clayton and
Ben Lewis portrayed the character in flashforwards. Aiden Stoxx portrays the character as a child in the present. In March 2019,
Adrian Paul joined the series in a recurring role as
Dante.
Filming Production for the season began on July 6, 2018, in
Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada. In May 2018, Stephen Amell revealed that co-star David Ramsey would direct the eleventh episode of the season, marking Ramsey's directorial debut. Production wrapped on April 11, 2019.
Arrowverse tie-ins In May 2018, Stephen Amell announced at The CW
upfronts that the next
Arrowverse crossover would feature
Batwoman and
Gotham City. The crossover "
Elseworlds" is slated to launch a 2019 solo series for the character. The episode "Emerald Archer" featured appearances from
Grant Gustin and
Caity Lotz as
Barry Allen and
Sara Lance, respectively, for the series' 150th episode. Joseph David-Jones reprises his role as Connor Hawke from the
Legends of Tomorrow episode "
Star City 2046" where the character becomes the new Green Arrow in an alternate timeline. ==Marketing==