‘Arrow’ season 3 spoilers: As the start of production nears…

There’s a lot of work that goes into kicking off a new season of a show, and the good news for fans of “Arrow” is that we’re almost at a point now where production will be kicking off.

According to the production office’s Twitter account, everyone is already getting set for the first production meeting, and the starting of filming next week. This is something that producers have been preparing for quite a while now, given that there are some roles that have already been cast, and the groundwork has been laid for what should be a great season. While John Barrowman may be back as Malcolm Merlyn and as a series regular for the first time, the good news is that the show doesn’t really seem to be that interested in giving us the same Dark Archer story all over again. There are some new, interesting things worth looking forward to instead, and some new heroes and villains out there. Everyone in the photo above save for Manu Bennett will be back for sure. (Given that Slade Wilson is still alive, we presume it’s possible that we do see a little more of Slade at some point.)

The “Arrow” production window is a lengthy one that last for about three-quarters of the year; while there are some small breaks in there for conventions and holidays, Stephen Amell and the rest of the cast will start up work this month, and then run with it in Vancouver all the way until April. Given the long hours that is quite a commitment, especially since so many of them are traveling from America to be there.

Stay tuned, since we’re expecting some more tremendous “Arrow” updates throughout the week. For now, just be sure to share your thoughts below, and click here to get some other targeted TV updates via our newsletter.

Photo: The CW