The CW is back shooting the bulk of its drama pilots in Canada, with Vancouver as its preferred destination for sound stages.

The U.S. network is currently shooting five of its eight pilots for the 2012 season in Vancouver, including Arrow, starring Toronto actor Stephen Amell (pictured), Joey Dakota and The Selection.

The other CW pilots shooting in Vancouver are Cult and First Cut.

Another CW pilot, CBS Television’s Beauty & The Beast, loosely based on the 1980s drama of the same name, is shooting in Toronto through April 2 at Pinewood Toronto Studios.

The CW traditionally shoots its drama pilots in Canada for cost savings.

But last year, the U.S. network only brought three of its six pilots north of the border, including Heavenly and The Secret Circle, which shot in Vancouver, as American networks returned to shooting pilots in New York City after that state restored its tax credit.

So Vancouver last year had to make do with separate shoots for Warner Bros. Television’s The Wyoming Project and Hellcats, Fox’s Running Wilde and ABC Studios’ True Blue.

That was a marked departure from 2010 when the CW shot five of its six drama pilots in Canada, with the prospect of possible full-season orders to follow staying north of the border for production.

This U.S. pilot season, CW’s Arrow is shooting in Burnaby through March 30, Cult is shooting through March 29, and First Cut is shooting in North Vancouver through March 31.

And CW’s The Selection, a dystopian romantic drama that stars William Moseley and Aimee Teegarden, is shooting at the Manitoba Street Studio in Vancouver through March 30.