'Arrow' season 5 release date news: Upcoming season to introduce new heroes and villains; Deadshot actor cast as lead for Valiant's 'Ninjak'

Oct. 5 marks the arrival of the fifth season of "Arrow," and Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) will be joined by a lot of new heroes — as well as villains — in the upcoming season. Also, Deadshot actor Michael Rowe has been cast as the lead for Valiant Entertainment's "Ninjak."

Recently, Amell eased the return of Deathstroke/Slade Wilson to "Arrow;" not only that, he has also posted a picture of himself in costume standing next to Melissa Benoist's Supergirl. The CW's DC Universe is planning a big crossover event by the end of the year, so expect the show not to pull any punches this time around.

More heroes will be appearing in this season, one of which will be the Human Target played by "Jessica Jones'" Wil Traval. Also joining the cast are Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Josh Segarra as Vigilante, Joe Dinicol as Ragman, and Madison McLaughlin as Evelyn Sharp. A new villain by the name of Tobias Church is also set to appear, and he will be played by "The Walking Dead's" Chad L. Coleman.

Speaking of villains, Rowe has been picked as the lead for "Ninjak," a feature-length original series about M-16's top assassin. The series is said to be officially announced at the New York Comic-Con on Oct. 8. An official image of Rowe in full costume has also been released. 

The series will also be directed by the people behind "Super Power Beat Down" in YouTube, and the series has a star-studded cast which includes the likes of Jason David Frank ("Power Rangers"), Ciera Foster ("Straight Outta Compton"), and John Morrison (WWE).

Will Rowe be able to bring the same excitement to "Ninjak" the same way he did for "Arrow's" version of Deadshot? Only time will tell.

The fifth season of "Arrow" will premiere on Wednesday, Oct 5, at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.