Some news is so strange you just don’t know what to do with it. What I am about to talk about is one such story.
According to The Wrap, which exclusively reported this news a couple of hours ago, Arrow has cast actress Caity Lotz to play the role of Black Canary. According to The Wrap:
“While the Black Canary will start out as a recurring role, Lotz is expected to eventually become a series regular, as her character will be groomed as a love interest for Arrow (Stephen Amell). The Black Canary is a notable character in the DC Comics franchise, and both The CW and the producers of ‘Arrow’ are high on its potential.”
What they fail to acknowledge in their report, in any way, is that Katie Cassidy is already a full-time member of the cast of Arrow as Laurel Lance. As I explained elsewhere on this site:
Oliver Queen is Green Arrow, even if the show simply calls him “The Hood,” and Laurel Lance is Black Canary, a super heroine identity the show might someday get to. Since the late 1960s, Green Arrow and Black Canary have been a couple, regardless of which version of Oliver Queen or which Lance (the original Dinah Drake or the current Laurel, Dinah’s daughter) we’re talking about. Granted, they have frequently broken up, but in terms of comic book super heroes who are thought of as being a romantic couple (such as Cyclops and Jean Grey) these two are among the most notable.
At the show’s current state, Laurel is an attorney for the poor and down-trodden. She has on multiple occasions displayed a knack for hand-to-hand combat, and has shown a definite affinity for the vigilante known as “The Hood” who she does not know is actually ex-boyfriend Oliver Queen. It’s been assumed that in later seasons they would begin transitioning Laurel into her comic book counterpart’s vigilante identity of Black Canary, though likely minus the accompanying supersonic scream that would be out of touch with Arrow‘s Nolan-esque realistic approach to the superhero genre.
Katie Cassidy on left, Black Canary on the right. That’s her role, dangit.
So, what [pause for dramatic effect] the hell is going on with this news about Caity Lotz, an actress primarily known for having been in a recurring role on Mad Men, being cast to play Black Canary? Not to go all schoolyard on you, but Katie Cassidy was here first.
Theories:
Possibility #1: Caity Lotz has been cast to play Sarah Lance
Sarah Lance is Laurel’s younger sister. As fans of the first season are probably at this point undoubtedly sick of hearing (the show talked about it…a lot), Oliver was having an affair with Sarah and the two left together on a cruise with his father. The ship sunk, Sarah died, Oliver’s father killed himself and a fellow survivor to allow Oliver to survive on the limited resources left, and Oliver ended up stranded on an island for 5 years.
The last time we saw Sarah things, well, they definitely didn’t look very promising for her.
Alex “River Song” Kingston showed up in the season’s second half as Laurel’s mother, Dinah, who believed that Sarah had somehow survived. When her rather flimsy lead – a picture of a girl who looked a little like Sarah – was proven wrong, the remaining Lances (Laurel, Dinah, and father Quentin) had a melodramatic group crying session before moving on. However, maybe Dinah was right after all, and Sarah returns to the show having survived her own 5-year (6 at this point) ordeal and similarly newly buff, badass, and butt-kicking ala Oliver. She could then become Black Canary, with the identity at least kept within the Lance family.
The problem? Sarah has been seen on multiple occasions on the show to date, each time played by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. If this theory is correct then it would mean they have re-cast the role, which is certainly possible though not nearly as common in television as it once was.
Possibility #2: Caity Lotz Has Been Cast to Play an Entirely New Character
Oh, btw, this is what Caity Lotz looks like. Do NOT do a Google Image search for “Caity Lotz” at work. She has apparently done several Maxim-style photoshoots. Ms. Lotz…is very fit.
Maybe she ultimately dies tragically, inspiring an admiring Laurel to take up the mantle of Black Canary. There was a casting call recently for a roll named Lisa who was described as being a woman who would “wreak havoc on Oliver’s heart.” Perhaps this is the roll for which Lotz has been cast, although that doesn’t mean this character is necessarily Black Canary.
Possibility #3: The Wrap Is Dead Wrong
It is worth noting that in their report they state Lotz’ “character will be groomed as a love interest for Arrow (Stephen Amell).” They didn’t even bother to use the character’s name, Oliver Queen, or offer any real information which would indicate they’ve even seen the show. I am vaguely familiar with The Wrap as a news source, but stories detailing new castings in film or television are usually made by Deadline, TVLine (a sister site to Deadline), and The Hollywood Reporter, i.e., those industry sources who always seem to have direct access to such news via contacts with agencies representing actors and workers at the production studios. Until I see one of those sources confirm this news, I am greeting this with great skepticism.
I am sure there is at least one person who finds this all very, very interesting – Katie Cassidy. First, she’s cast to be Oliver’s long-term love interest, and then a relative newbie in Emily Bett Rickards steals her thunder as Felicity Smoak and has many fans shipping to their hearts delight for Oliver and Felicity. Now, there’s a source saying that somebody else has been cast to play Black Canary even though Black Canary in the main continuity of the comic books has always been either Dinah Drake Lance (the role Alex Kingston played) or Dinah Laurel Lance (Cassidy’s role)? Ahhhhh, hell no.