WB boss teases Manifest spinoff could 'possibly' feature original cast cameos

Manifest has proven time and time again that it's not a show to be counted out. Just when you think it's down, it's bigger than ever and on top of the world. That's what happened when NBC canceled the series just as it became a massive hit on Netflix, inspiring the streamer to save the fan-favorite for a super-sized final season. Now, we're taking off on another mysterious flight.

When Manifest ended its run on Netflix back in 2023, devoted fans were right away hopeful that the series could return again, in some form, in the future. Well, all that "keeping the faith" paid off for Manifesters. Netflix made the surprise announcement of a new spinoff series, Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery, and confirmed that it's officially in the works and racing down the runway.

Manifest cast cameos aren't off the table for new spinoff

Arrivals will, as the title suggests, center on a brand-new mystery and feature a different cast than the series that fans know and love. But in a recent interview, Warner Bros. Television chairman Channing Dungey revealed that potential cameos from original Manifest cast members isn't out of the realm of possibility. After all, it's all connected. But could anyone from Flight 828 actually show up?

Dungey didn't share specific details, since Arrivals is still in the early process of coming together, but offered what she could about the original cast's potential impact on the spinoff. "Possibly. There’s definitely room for some of that if we choose to. But at this point there aren’t any big plans to do that," Dungey said in an interview with Variety.

Obviously, Dungey provided Manifesters with the caution that original cast cameos might not actually happen. She stated that there aren't any "big plans" to bring back characters right now, though the hopeful caveat there is that Warner Bros., Netflix, and creator Jeff Rake aren't closing the door on welcoming familiar faces from the global supernatural sensation.

Most fans will more than likely aim high and wish for the likes of Ben (Josh Dallas), Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), Zeke (Matt Long), Saanvi (Parveen Kaur), or Jared (J.R. Vasquez) to reprise their roles in the spinoff series. But considering the goal for Arrivals is to make the series stand on its own and be as accessible to as many viewers as possible, the chances are otherwise slim (but not impossible).

Arrivals unpacks the puzzling plane crash that occurs in Denver, which is on the opposite side of the country as Manifest's setting of Queens, New York. Again, it's not impossible for the original series' characters to make their way to Colorado or for the new characters to head to New York. But there's a much higher possibility for a smaller character to drop in as an Easter egg for devoted fans.

If we had our pick, Daryl Edwards would be a great choice to return as his character Robert Vance, the NSA agent in charge of investigating Flight 828. Vance could make a cameo in way that doesn't require new viewers to know his Manifest lore. There are plenty of other side characters from across the original show's four seasons that could be called upon in this new airplane mystery.

Still, Manifesters shouldn't get our hopes up too high and heed Dungey's warning that there aren't any "big plans" for cameos. But (there's always a but, isn't there?) she also gave us hope that surprises could be in store. For now, Rake has revealed in a series of social media posts that filming is expected to begin in Vancouver in January 2027 and aiming for a late 2027 release. Get ready for takeoff!

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