Earlier this summer, we learned Charlie Barnett would be joining the cast of Arrow for its eighth and final season as an adult version of John Diggle Jr., known as J.J., the Flashpoint-born son of Oliver Queen ally John Diggle.
In a new interview with Variety, Barnett was asked about the role and had some interesting things to say. The interviewer appears to ask whether the actor could juggle both Arrow and his lead role on the Netflix series Russian Doll.
Barnett appears unconcerned, saying, “I’m only on Arrow for a couple episodes, and you know it’s the last season of Arrow.” He adds, “I think Arrow has some interesting things coming up, but I don’t know if I’m committed to the world, let’s say. There’s a lot of worlds going on in Arrow right now.”
Charlie Barnett on his #Arrow character: "I think "Arrow" has some interesting things coming up, but I don't know if I'm committed to the world" pic.twitter.com/sXBu92uBMx
— Variety (@Variety) August 14, 2019
Barnett’s limited commitment to Arrow is surprising news considering he was cast as a season regular. On the other hand, the last season of Arrow only includes 10 episodes, limiting the amount of screen time many of the actors on the series can expect.
Barnett’s character will appear in the show’s flashforwards to Star City 2040, which began last season. However, while the season 7 flashforwards introduced Oliver Queen’s adult children, Mia Smoak and William Clayton, as well as John Diggle’s adopted son Connor Hawke, J.J. remained absent.
So the introduction of J.J. in season 8 is notable.
In the upcoming episodes, the trio of Mia, William, and Connor will work to form their own superhero team in 2040, while J.J. will be operating on the supervillain side of things as the leader of the Deathstroke Gang.
Still, Barnett’s comment that Arrow has many worlds right now indicates there could be quite a lot of hopping between different parts of the multiverse as well as different timelines in the final season.
There’s also the open question of whether or not a spin-off series centering on Arrow’s flashforwards could be on the horizon and, if so, if J.J. would be a part of it.
At the Television Critics Association summer press tour, CW boss Mark Pedowitz indicated the spin-off was a “possibility” but said discussions hadn’t “fully” taken place yet.
Arrow’s final season will air on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW. The season premieres on October 15.