When it comes to questions fans have about The CW‘s Arrow as the series heads towards its eighth and final season this fall, some of the bigger ones involve Diggle’s family — specifically what’s going on with his children in the future timeline. In Season 7, fans became acquainted with Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones), Diggle’s adoptive son but were left wondering about his real son — John “JJ” Diggle Jr. Now, it seems like fans might actually get answers as the series is reportedly now casting for the role.
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According to TVLine, Arrow is currently casting for a twentysomething, circa 2040 version of John Jr., Diggle’s son with wife Lyla. The report offers no additional details, though it will be interesting to see where things go with the casting and the character.
When fans of The CW series first saw an adult take on JJ, it was in the DC’s Legends of Tomorrow episode “Star City 2046” where he was simply going by the name Connor Hawke (also played by Joseph David-Jones) and operating as the new Green Arrow. However, that timeline has since been erased. As established in the flash forward timeline in Arrow Season 7, JJ ended up hating his family and went on to become the leader of the Deathstroke gang — a surprising turn when one considers that Connor is an agent of Knightwatch, an A.R.G.U.S.-like organization in the Arrowverse future.
With Arrow reportedly casting for JJ, it is starting to look like we’ll be seeing a bit more of the Diggle family and its own interpersonal drama when the series returns for its final season this fall. David-Jones was recently promoted to series regular, a move that suggests a significant role for the flash forward storyline. That presumed focus on the future somewhat makes sense, considering how things played out at the end of Season 7.
Arrow ended its seventh season on a strange note: Felicity Smoak followed the Monitor into a breach in time in the future timeline, while Oliver Queen went on a mission with him in the present day. That mission, according to the Monitor, would see Oliver die in the Crisis. Since then, and with Felicity actor Emily Bett Rickards gone for next year, there has been a good deal of speculation about what the season might look like. Most fans are guessing that the flash-forwards will take on a bigger role in driving the primary narrative, with Oliver and The Monitor’s missions remaining more episodic and a little vague until “Crisis on Infinite Earths” starts to take shape.
Arrow will return for its final season this fall on The CW.
