Netflix is moving ahead with production on Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery, the first spin-off from the sci-fi drama Manifest, with cameras scheduled to roll in early 2027. According to production listings reported by What's on Netflix, filming will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, starting January 19, 2027, and running through June 9, 2027.

The upcoming project expands the franchise nearly two months after Netflix officially greenlit the series during its annual 828 Day celebration in late August 2026. Original Manifest creator Jeff Rake returns as co-creator, executive producer, and co-showrunner alongside series veterans Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, both of whom served as co-executive producers on the flagship show. While no actors have been publicly attached to the project yet, early casting breakdowns have revealed the central characters and plot setup driving the next chapter of the supernatural mystery.

Production Timeline and Location Shift

The nearly five-month shooting schedule in Vancouver marks a significant geographical shift for the franchise. While the original Manifest was both set and primarily filmed in New York, the narrative for Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery relocates the action to Denver, Colorado. Despite the creative team conducting location scouting in Denver, primary physical production will operate out of Vancouver, one of Netflix's most active North American filming hubs.

Behind the scenes, the production reunites much of the original series' creative and logistical infrastructure. Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke return as executive producers through Compari Entertainment, joined by executive producers Len Goldstein and Jacqueline Levine, with Tall Baby Productions and Warner Bros. Television attached as studio partners. Casting directors Libby Goldstein and Junie Lowry-Johnson, the duo responsible for assembling the original Manifest ensemble, are also leading the casting search for the spin-off.

Production listings indicate that episodes are slated to run approximately 60 minutes each. Although Netflix has not yet confirmed the total episode order for the debut season, industry expectations point toward a standard streaming order of eight to 10 episodes, rather than the supersized 20-episode final season granted to the original series. With principal photography wrapping in June 2027 and extensive visual effects work required during post-production, both What's on Netflix and MovieWeb note that the series is unlikely to premiere on the streaming platform until early 2028.

Plot Premise and First Character Breakdowns

Set within the same continuity as the original show, Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery introduces an entirely new aviation anomaly. According to the official logline, the story begins when a mysterious airplane crash-lands in Denver and its passengers walk away with complete amnesia regarding their identities, origins, and purpose. In the aftermath of the crash, a young social worker and a novice Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent join forces with the passengers to prevent a global catastrophe, ultimately realizing that they are personally connected to the puzzle they are attempting to solve.

Early casting breakdowns detail six series regular roles and two recurring characters that will anchor the ensemble:

Zoe (Female, 27): The lead social worker described as smart, courageous, and compassionate. Raised in the foster care system, she longs for a family of her own and believes in horoscopes and the universe, though she struggles to trust others.
Mike Deaver (Male, 20s to early 30s): A clean-cut, morally grounded former Air Force helicopter pilot now working as a novice DHS agent. Haunted by a past mistake, he partners with Zoe to investigate the crash.
Wes (Male, 50s): A guarded yet honorable and protective man who has been living off the grid for years while raising two young people named Sloane and Joe.
Sloane (Female, 19): A resourceful, cautious, and loving young woman who has a pulmonary condition requiring an inhaler and shares a tight bond with Joe.
Billy (Male, 20s): Zoe's wealthy, charming ex-boyfriend who is described as a commitment-phobic playboy with a complicated past, though fundamentally well-intentioned.
Selena (Female, 50s): A commanding natural leader with a tough exterior and deep compassion who shares a personal history with Wes and is willing to make hard choices to protect her team.
Director Gary Bolton (Recurring, Male, 50s): A risk-averse, by-the-book DHS director focused on maintaining control through strict rules, facts, and standard procedure.
Francisco (Recurring, Male, 40s to 50s): A fiercely loyal, hardworking family man who feels shortchanged by life and is willing to compromise his morals to keep his family safe.

Notably, while the character of Joe is referenced multiple times in the descriptions for Wes and Sloane, no dedicated casting breakdown for Joe was included in the initial listings, suggesting the role may be cast separately or kept under wraps due to its importance to the central mystery.

How 'Arrivals' Connects to the 'Manifest' Franchise

The character dynamics in Arrivals echo several structural elements that defined the original series. The investigative partnership between Zoe, an empathetic civilian outsider, and Mike, a conflicted government insider, mirrors the central dynamic between Michaela Stone and Jared Vasquez in Manifest. Similarly, DHS Director Gary Bolton is positioned as a bureaucratic adversary comparable to the National Security Agency officials who clashed with the Flight 828 passengers.

At this stage, none of the casting descriptions reference returning characters from the original series, which starred Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas. While guest appearances from original cast members have not been ruled out, Netflix is positioning the spin-off around a fresh ensemble rather than continuing the story of the Stone family.

The greenlight for Arrivals follows years of sustained streaming viewership for the property. As noted by Collider, NBC originally premiered Manifest in 2018, following the passengers of Montego Air Flight 828 after they landed in New York more than five years after takeoff with no time having passed for them aboard the plane. When NBC canceled the drama in June 2021 after three seasons, Netflix licensed the series and revived it for a two-part, 20-episode fourth and final season that concluded in June 2023.

According to viewership metrics cited by MovieWeb, the series originally held the No. 1 spot on Netflix's streaming charts for 28 consecutive days upon arriving on the platform and continued to generate over 128.2 million hours viewed between July and December 2025, more than two years after its finale. Overall, Manifest has accumulated 130 million views on Netflix, with its fourth season spending nine weeks on the Global Top 10 English TV list and reaching the top spot in more than 90 tracked countries.