Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of Wild Dog and Black Canary!
Arrow fans will be seeing a lot more of Wild Dog and Black Canary in season six!
The CW announced on Thursday that series stars Rick Gonzalez and Juliana Harkavy will be promoted to regulars next season, after joining the DC superhero drama last fall.
Gonzalez’s character, Rene Ramirez -- and his vigilante alter ego, Wild Dog -- was recruited by Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) to join Team Arrow at the beginning of this season, while Harkavy’s Dinah Drake recently took up the Black Canary mantle following the death of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) at the end of season four.
But fans haven’t seen the last of Cassidy, either! Last month, it was announced that the actress will return to Arrow as a series regular in season six, portraying Black Siren, Laurel’s villainous Earth-2 doppelganger.
"We were so taken by Katie’s fearless interpretation of this character that we knew her story was not yet finished," Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim said in a statement at the time. "We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Katie back to Arrow as Black Siren, though as her appearances on Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow this season show, she never really left the family."
Earlier this year, Arrow executive producer Wendy Mericle spoke with ET about the season six renewal and “closing the chapter” on the show’s signature flashbacks, which told the story of Oliver’s five years away from Star City.
“We’ve always known that, once we reach season five, and we pick up where the pilot started, that the flashbacks are probably going to go away,” Mericle explained. “That said, we’ve used the device to great effect. I would not ever say that we wouldn’t go back to them, but we’re really going to be looking at season six as a fresh, clean slate.”
“We’ve closed this chapter on the first five seasons, and it’s going to be time to start looking at new ways of writing the show and exploring different structures as well,” she added. “We’re a little bit freed up by not having to do the flashbacks, as well, which is actually really refreshing and exciting.”
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.