When Arrow returns for its eighth and final season later this year, the show will be down one main cast member after Emily Bett Rickards, who plays Felicity Smoak, announced that she is leaving the show.
The surprise news came in an Instagram post from Rickards, which you can see below:
Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz spoke to TVLine and confirmed that the departure of Felicity will be wrapped up in the seventh season finale. She wouldn’t confirm or deny whether Rickards would appear in the final season leaving fans to speculate that she may return for the series finale.
Season seven of Arrow is currently airing and in the UK it has just been revealed that Felicity is pregnant. In the show’s flashforwards, Felicity and Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) daughter has just revealed her identity to William (Ben Lewis).
Stephen Amell recently announced during a Facebook Live chat with fans that Arrow would be coming to an end after 8 seasons. The final season, which kicks off this autumn, will feature only 10 episodes.
Are you surprised that Rickards has decided to leave the show ahead of the final season? It’ll be interesting to see how the writers address her
departure, especially given how integral Felicity has been to the flashforwards this season.