The OFFICIAL "Arrow" Season 3 DISCUSSION Thread

[satam55]

Arrow EP Teases Season 3's Big Bad, a Big 'Date' and Non-Oliver Flashbacks
By Matt Webb Mitovich / July 15 2014, 1:57 PM PDT

After Greg Berlanti appeared at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour to tout the new NBC drama The Mysteries of Laura, TVLine reached out to the uber-producer to solve the mysteries of Arrow Season 3.

Echoing that which series lead Stephen Amell shared with TVLine at the may Upfronts, the Arrow EP said that the next Big Bad will “feel different” from Season 2′s Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. That said, the incoming adversary “has some personal elements of connectivity to Oliver, which we’ll learn about” — in part via flashbacks, Berlanti allowed. “Hopefully, fans of the DC Universe will be really pleased by who it is.”

Speaking of the show’s flashback device, Berlanti said that Season 3 will “not just flash back from Oliver’s perspective.” As the hit drama has done on rare occasion with the likes of Laurel and Diggle, “There’s some backstory stuff that’s going to come out for some of the other characters.”

One provocative Season 3 plot point that will very much take place in the here and now, meanwhile, involves Oliver, a certain blonde beauty and the popping of a question.

As revealed in the official logline for Season 3, “with Arrow now a hero,” crime down in Starling City and while “basking in his success,” “Oliver believes he can finally have a private life and asks Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) out on a date.”

Berlanti told TVLine that rather than standing alone as a brief blurb within a larger logline, there’s a “better context” for the proposition in question. But yes, it ishappening.

“They’re real characters to us, and they had that conversation on the beach, and they had that conversation in the house to help capture Slade,” Berlanti reminds. “So the question you have to ask is: Does Oliver have real, genuine emotions for her? And how aware is he of that? And how aware does he make her of that? That is an active part of the season this year.”


http://tvline.com/2014/07/15/arrow-season-3-oliver-felicity-romance/

 

[satam55]

THE FLASH: PRISON BREAK STAR TO PLAY CAPTAIN COLD

Wentworth Miller to lead The Rogues as Captain Cold.

18 JUL 2014 BY MATT FOWLER

Today at the Television Critics Association press tour, the producers of The CW's upcoming DC Comics series, The Flash, announced that the famous Flash villain Captain Cold will be appearing on the show.

Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, in his first high-profile TV role in several years, will be playing Leonard Snart - aka Captain Cold - leader of a super-villain team, The Rogues (which included, in the comics, Flash-haters Mirror Master, The Trickster, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang among others).

"We’ll be seeing his origin and the origin of the Rogues," said EP Greg Berlanti.

Wentworth Miller, and a panel featuring Captain Cold.

Leonard Snart will be introduced in the fourth episode.

Captain Cold and his famous freeze gun also appeared in the 1990 Flash series on CBS, played by Michael Champion.



Additional reporting by Roth Cornet from the TCA Press Tour.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/18/the-flash-prison-break-star-to-play-captain-cold

The Flash Welcomes Wentworth Miller as (Spoiler) — Plus: More Scoop on Robbie Amell and Firestorm
By Andy Swift / July 18 2014, 11:31 AM PDT

Heads up, Flash fans: A cold front is approaching Central City this fall.

Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) has been tapped to play Leonard Snart — aka the villainous Captain Cold — on The CW’s Arrow spin-off, making his first appearance in Episode 4.

The announcement was made Friday during the show’s panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, where the stars and executive producers were on hand to preview their “fast-paced” new drama.

Much to the delight of fanboys everywhere, The Flash is “probably he most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, who will be breaking stories and working on the show throughout its run.

“We weren’t looking to do the same show twice,” said executive producer Andrew Kreisberg about spinning The Flash off of Arrow. “We weren’t looking for the same kind of hero that Stephen [Amell] portrays. We wanted someone more normal, who had greatness thrust upon them.” He said Grant Gustin was the first person to read for the role of Barry, and the team knew they’d found their star immediately.

Another sure casting was John Wesley Shipp — who starred in CBS’ short-lived ’90sFlash series — as Barry’s father. Executive producer Greg Berlanti had worked with Shipp on Dawson’s Creek and knew he wanted to get him on board in “one of the most important parts of the show.”

As for Robbie Amell coming on board as Ronnie Raymond — one half of DC Comics character Firestorm — reporters were quick to wonder whether Firestorm’s otherhalf, Martin Stein, will also be making an appearance. Berlanti revealed that Stein was initially in the pilot, but was eventually written out. That said, we will meet Stein as Amell’s character evolves.

Barry’s suit was also a point of contention, as it’s not quite as vibrant as in the comics. Berlanti noted that designer Colleen Atwood went through a series of different looks and that the team will be “evolving the suit over time. … It will become more vibrant and red” as the series progresses.

And despite joking about “starting a Kickstarter” to keep The Flash‘s production values consistent with its splashy pilot, Kreisberg said the team is “hoping we’re going to be able to maintain the same level of action and adventure and excitement. So far … we feel like we can.”

http://tvline.com/2014/07/18/the-flash-captain-cold-wentworth-miller-season-1-spoilers/

 

[ORDER_66]

 

[satam55]

Press tour: CW's 'The Flash' hits the ground running

Will it be 'the most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever'?

By Alan Sepinwall @Sepinwall | Friday, Jul 18, 2014 3:02 PM

Where Marvel has been running rings around DC with its cinematic superhero universe, DC in turn is having a bit moment on the small screen. The CW's "Arrow" has had two very strong seasons featuring not only Stephen Amell as Green Arrow, but lots of other major and minor DC characters like Black Canary, Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and Deathstroke. And this fall, we'll have new DC-inspired shows on NBC (the supernatural saga "Constantine"), FOX (the Batman prequel "Gotham") and again on the CW, with "The Flash," spinning off from "Arrow" and developed by the "Arrow" creative team of Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, along with DC executive and longtime "Flash" comic writer Geoff Johns.

At press tour, Johns called "The Flash" "probably the most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever, as deep as we're going to go, and as many characters as we're using."

The pilot episode — featuring Grant Gustin as police scientist-turned-world's fastest man Barry Allen, Jesse L. Martin as his cop mentor Joe West and Tom Cavanagh as STAR Labs scientist Harrison Wells, among others — is one of the most satisfying of any of the new network shows debuting this fall, full of action, special effects and sincere streak of emotion carried by both Gustin and Martin. The super-speed effects are so good, in fact, that some reporters wondered how the show can maintain the production values on a weekly basis.

"We're thinking about starting a Kickstarter," joked Kreisberg. "Obviously, the pilot had a lot of resources at its disposal, but a lot of the pilot was R&D for the series, and the pilot was a steep learning curve. With 'Arrow,' I remember we ourselves watched the pilot and wondered, 'How are we going to do this every week?' And 'Arrow' has only gotten bigger and better. Whereas that's about stunts and this is about visual effects, we're hoping we'll be able to maintain the same level of action, adventure and excitement. So far, with what we've been doing, we feel like we can."

Though DC is trying to rapidly expand its movie presence with "Superman v. Batman" and the Justice League movie that will follow it, Johns explained that the plan is to keep the movie and TV universes separate, so if there's a Flash in "Justice League," it won't be Gustin.

"One of the joys of doing these shows," said Berlanti (who has also worked on the DC movie end, as one of the screenwriters of "Green Lantern"), "we don't really see a difference between film and TV... Between these two shows this year, we'll have half the Justice League on our shows. It's not a second prize. It is the prize for us, to have the opportunity to tell these stories with these characters."

"The Flash" pilot features many familiar names from the comics, and Easter eggs hinting at even more. There's a brief reference to Gorilla Grodd, for instance, which the producers fought to keep in the final cut, even though they're not quite sure yet how to depict an intelligent super-ape on television.

"That Easter egg means the world to us," said Kreisberg. "As we were working on the pilot and trying to get it down to time, someone would suggest, 'We can save 10 seconds if you cut that,' and we were like, 'You can cut everything else.' 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' is out right now, and we're hoping they're doing the R&D for us."

"Sometimes we know exactly how we're going to pull these things off," added Berlanti. "Sometimes we don't, but know we really want to, and it inspires us to try harder. "

(Other Flash/DC characters due to appear early on: Wentworth Miller will play Captain Cold in episode 4, and the series will introduce Robbie Amell as Ronnie Raymond — one half of the secret identity of Firestorm — in the third episode.)

There's also a major tribute to the TV history of the character, as John Wesley Shipp — who played Barry in a short-lived CBS series in the 1989-90 TV season — has a recurring role as this Barry's father. Berlanti worked with Shipp on "Dawson's Creek" and was able to convince him to be part of this new take on the franchise.

"Having grown up huge Flash fans, that show meant the world to us," said Kreisberg. "We thought, Whatever we do, we gotta get John Wesley Shipp.' He was just so thrilled, so sweet, so generous and so kind. I think he was surprised that the show had meant so much to us and a lot of people, because it ended far too soon for him as well. To get that link to the past and have him be part of the show — and it's not just a gimmick or a cameo, but one of the most important parts of the show."

The tone of both Barry Allen as a character and "The Flash" as a series is significantly lighter and more optimistic than "Arrow." Barry gets to enjoy having his powers, even as there is tragedy in his past and that of the other characters.

"It was a very conscious decision on our parts that we weren't looking to do the same show twice and we weren't looking for the same kind of hero that Steven is playing," said Kreisberg.

The two series exist in the same universe and will interact with each other, but they're each their own thing. And the pilot episode is a very promising test run.


http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/press-tour-cws-the-flash-hits-the-ground-running

 

[satam55]

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE - GEOFF JOHNS: 'NO DC MOVIE/TV CROSSOVER'

Will we see Shazam on the big screen after all?

18 JUL 2014 BY ROTH CORNET

Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer at DC, was on hand at today's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today for the CW's The Flash panel, where he reiterated that there would be no crossover between the DC TV film, emphasizing that they are each "their own universes."

Following up with Johns post-panel, we asked if it were feasible that we may see one version of The Justice League on the big screen and another on the small as The Flash and Arrow expand, he replied. "You'll see a lot of DC universe characters [on The Flash and Arrow]. You won't see Batman or Superman. We're on production on Batman V Superman now. So you'll see characters like The Atom or Firestorm, but no not Batman or Superman right now [on TV]."

The decision to keep their TV properties entirely separate from what they are doing in their cinematic universe seems to be one that is both pragmatic and creative. It would certainly be a challenge to maintain continuity with so many different films and an ever increasing slate of shows if there was an attempt to bridge the two.

"It's a separate universe than film so that the filmmakers can tell the story that's best for film," Johns said. "While we explore something different in a different corner of the DC universe."

"We will not be integrating the film and television universes," Johns said definitively.

Audiences have come to expect a certain degree of continuity, however. Stephen Amell fans have certainly spent a good deal of time speculating about a possible appearance in Dawn of Justice. Alas, it does not appear that it is meant to be.

As to Wonder Woman, we know that the character will appear in the upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but President of the CW Mark Pedowitz says is is unclear if she will become a TV character again.

"If she is and we can get the right script we will do it," Pedowitz said.

"One of the nice things is that a lot of the other broadcasters and cable networks have done Comic Book Characters based on the success of Arrow," Pedowitz continued, emphasizing that the network was certainly open to adding another Comic show to their slate. "So for our purposes, it is a rich source material, we know what the mythology is, and if you have the right superhero character you go for it."

Johns feels that as long as things are done well and not repetitive, then "there's room for everything."

When asked which one character he'd like to see brought to life next, Johns said Shazam. It was unclear if he meant on the big screen or small, but according to arecent rumor/report about the upcoming DC movie slate, Shazam is the second film scheduled following Dawn of Justice.

Warner Brothers has not yet confirmed that schedule, of course, but with Comic Con just a week away anything is possible.

We will keep you updated as news on all of these projects emerge.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07...f-justice-geoff-johns-no-dc-movietv-crossover

 

[prophecypro]

Their each in their own universes.........but they did tease a Crisis event that will eventually happen in the Flash.
I call that and as insurance on Johns part.

Interesting that they got Wentworth Miller to play Cold. Definetly gonna be operating on some stunt casting and fan service but it all depends onj fi the scripts are tight.

 

[satam55]

THE FLASH TO BE 'MOST FAITHFUL DC COMICS ADAPTATION' YET

Many villains ahead...

18 JUL 2014 BY ROTH CORNET

The cast and creators of the CW's upcoming Arrow spinoff series, The Flash, were on-hand at today's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour to tease a bit of what audiences can expect from the series

Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer at DC, took the opportunity to reveal that Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has been cast as Captain Cold. The character will appear in the fourth episode and will mark the introduction of the super-villain team The Rogues (which include: Flash-haters Mirror Master, The Trickster, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang among others).

Most Faithful Adaptation to Date:

Johns, a long-time Flash comics writer, has a palpable affection for the material and assures fellow Flash fans that this series will maintain a tight connection the source material; more than any of the DC adaptations to date, in fact.

"If you've seen the pilot and you're a fan of the books, you know we've incorporated almost everything from the mythology into it and added a whole new backstory with S.T.A.R. Labs and that team incorporated that," Johns said. "But it's probably the most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever, as deep as we're going to go and as many characters as we're using, especially in the first nine episodes we've planned out pretty tightly."

In a follow-up after the session, Johns also said that he felt that - aside from Batman and Spider-Man -The Flash has the best rogues gallery of any comic character and emphasized that it is one that they relish the opportunity to explore and bring to life.

All Of The Easter Eggs Are Significant:

Johns assures that every Easter Egg that fans see in the series is meaningful. They're not there as a fun nod as is sometimes the case on shows or in films; they're all leading to something.

Kreisberg specifically fought for the inclusion of Gorilla Grodd Easter Egg in the pilot.

"It's funny, because obviously that Easter egg means the world to us," Kreisberg said. "And all along the way, there are people who are less familiar with the mythology, who were like, well, we could save ten seconds if we cut that. And we're like, nnnn, you can cut anything else."

Adding, "You know, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is out now, and hopefully they're doing the R&D for us so that one day we can see exactly what jumped out of that cage."

"Sometimes we know exactly how we're going to pull those things off," Berlanti said. "Sometimes we don't, but we know that we really want to. And so it's something that inspires us to try harder and figure out a way to pull it off."

We know that Robbie Amell has been cast as Ronnie Raymond, a maintenance worker at S.T.A.R. Labs and Dr. Caitlin Snow’s (Danielle Panabaker) fiancé, who will become Firestorm.

When asked if we will also see Professor Martin Stein, Berlanti responded, "I think as we evolve Firestorm, definitely ‑‑ you'll meet Stein. We actually had him in a version of the pilot at one point on the train with Barry when he was coming back from Starling."

Plenty Of Flash/Arrow Crossover:

Of course there will be plenty of opportunity for Barry to venture back to Starling City, but some characters from Arrow may also make they way over to The Flash's home turf, with the first big crossover event already planned.

"Episodes 8 of both shows, Arrow and Flash, are going to be a two-hour crossover event," Kreisberg told TV Guide. "[Also], in Episode 4, Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] is going to come to The Flash."

No Movie/TV Integration:

As we reported earlier, Johns also gave a definitive answer to any lingering questions about a potential DC movies and TV crossover, saying, "We will not be integrating the film and television universes."

"At DC, we really see film and TV as separate worlds," Johns said. "Arrow and Flash create a huge DC universe for us. And it's going to live and breathe and grow."

Adding, "We also want to let the creators tell the best stories they can with these characters without putting them in a box, so to speak. And so we want to do the best TV show, television series we can possibly do with the DC universe with these characters."


http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/18/the-flash-to-be-most-faithful-dc-comics-adaptation-yet

 

[gluvnast]

WAIT... are they saying that episode 8 is going to be one TWO HOUR episode featuring BOTH green arrow and flash???

 

[satam55]

Arrow: Laurel and Felicity related scoop on season 3 from TVLine's Matt Webb Mitovich

Here's some scoop on Arrow from this week's (Posted on 7/18/14) Matt's Inside Line column.

Can we have any scoop on Laurel Lance’s storyline for Arrow Season 3? –Anita
Oh yes, you can. We spoke with exec producer Marc Guggenheim at a Thursday night CW soiree, where he professed, “One of the things we’re most excited about is Laurel’s story. Everything that we’ve been gearing up for, for the last 46 episodes, will come to fruition” — possibly including that passing of a baton/leather jacket in the season finale. As the season opens, “She’s still in the DA’s office,” Guggenheim added, “and there will be some interactions with a new character that we haven’t announced yet…. Her fans will be really, really happy.”

Are we going to learn anything about Felicity’s past on this season ofArrow? Like possibly who her father is? –Becca
As Felicity/EBR’s fans very well know, “We have had a backstory for her for over a year now that we keep saying, ‘This is the episode where we’re going to do it,’ and we don’t,” Guggenheim shared. “But this is the year we’re going to do it. That script is getting worked on as we speak.”

http://tvline.com/2014/07/18/arrow-season-3-laurel-felicity-storylines/

 

[satam55]

Arrow: Scoop on the introduction of Felicity's family and scoop on crossovers with The Flash in season 3 from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams

Here's some scoop on Arrow from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams' Mega Buzz column, which was posted on 7/22/14.

Thank you so much for the Arrow scoop, but there was not enough on Felicity! — Mark
Let me fix that. The producers are planning a series of Felicity-centric flashbacks that they call "the secret origin of Felicity Smoak." "We are absolutely going to get to know her," executive producer Marc Guggenheim tells me. "We know that she went to MIT, we know that her mom was a cocktail waitress in Vegas and we're going to meet that mom. And we also know that her dad is not in the picture." Any theories on the identity of Dear Old Dad?

Any info on the crossover episodes of Flash and Arrow? — Leona
I hear the shows' overall narrative arcs will be somewhat related this season, enough so that the crossover will make sense. "Something will happen at the end of Episode 7 of Arrow that will send the Arrow team to Central City and they will discover it was a wider plot, which will drive them all back to Starling City," executive producer Andrew Kreisberg tells me.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Mega-Buzz-Chicago-Fire-Scandal-Sleepy-Spoilers-1084751.aspx

 

[satam55]

ARROW AND THE FLASH EP ANDREW KREISBERG ON INTRODUCING THE ATOM, FIRESTORM AND KATANA

Are Arrow and The Flash building a TV version of the Justice League?

22 JUL 2014 BY ERIC GOLDMAN

Andrew Kreisberg is keeping busy. The executive producer of Arrowis now launching, along with Greg Berlanti and Geoff Johns, the highly-anticipated spinoff series, The Flash, while Arrow is going strong into Season 3 this fall.



As we head into Comic-Con, where both Arrow and The Flash will be appearing, I spoke to Kreisberg about what’s to come on both shows, including the introduction of Roy Palmer/The Atom (played by Superman Return's Brandon Routh) and Katana (played by Sin City's Devon Aoki) on Arrow and the introduction of Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm (played by The Tomorrow People's Robbie Amell, who also happens to be Stephen Amell's cousin) on The Flash. With all these DC heroes populating both shows, could we eventually see a TV version of the Justice League?

IGN TV: You’ve got both shows going now. Is it just an amazing, overwhelming world of DC heroes running through your head?

Andrew Kreisberg: Yes! But it's a childhood dream come true. I was on one stage yesterday watching Oliver Queen and Ray Palmer. Then I walked over to the other stage where I had Barry Allen and Iris West. I mean, it's the hardest I've ever worked. It's the hardest work I've ever done, but there's zero reason to complain. There are so few people who get to even become a writer or producer anyway, but then to get to write and produce these characters that are so much a part of my own personal DNA and so much a part of my life that I get to be one small part of taking them on this leg of their journey is insanity.

IGN: So let's start with Arrow. It’s been reported that Sara is returning. Can you talk about her coming back and what's been going on while she's been gone?

Kreisberg: We have her [Caity Lotz] booked for three episodes, with hopefully more. She has come back to Starling City because she is on a mission... and that is all I can say.

IGN: Will we see Nyssa or get an update on Nyssa?

Kreisberg: A lot of what we did in Season 1 was setting up Season 2. You can be assured that a lot of the things we did in Season 2 are to help set up Season 3.

IGN: Continuing on that track, a lot of rumors have been circulating about Ra's al Ghul. Anything you can say about him? In Season 1, you referenced him without naming him. Then in Season 2, you named him and you brought in Nyssa. There's a logical next step, you know? [Laughs]

Kreisberg: You know us -- we're never one to do the logical thing! You know, I can't comment on that -- I can neither confirm nor deny. But rest assured, we have a lot of amazing stuff set up, mythology-wise, this year that will really feel like an extension of everything we've done before.

IGN: Where is Oliver at when we begin this season, in the wake of defeating Slade?

Kreisberg: Well, the show picks up six or seven months later, and he's actually in a really good place. Marc Guggenheim likes to joke, "Everything's coming up Oliver." He defeated Slade, crime is down in the city, the police have disbanded the anti-vigilante task force. You know, he's starting to get the feeling that there might be life beyond the hood, and that's really the theme of this season, for Oliver: "Can I be Oliver Queen and be Arrow?" One of the things that the beginning of the season, especially the premiere, shows that, for right now, it's easier to be Arrow than it is to be Oliver Queen. Getting his company back and having a life are going to prove to be a lot harder than he suspected.

IGN: And what can you say about Mr. Ray Palmer?

Kreisberg: I think, in the great tradition of shows when they hit Season 3, we're bringing on a game-changing character, somebody who's brought on specifically to shake up all the characters, and we are overjoyed and beyond thrilled that Brandon is willing to come on. First of all, he's such an amazing guy. Beyond that, he's just such an amazing actor. One of the things we really wanted to inject more into the show was humor. What's funny about Oliver and Felicity is that he's the straight man. She sort of gets all the funny lines.

What's great about having Brandon on the show is Brandon's an old-time movie star. He's like Jimmy Stewart. He can play that rat-tat-tat, Preston Sturges, you know, His Girl Friday with Felicity. It just brings a whole other energy to the show. It's similar for us when we brought on Grant [Gustin]. Like, we already had a Stephen Amell. So when we were casting the Flash, we wanted somebody who looked different and felt different and had a different energy. In a way, Brandon almost combines Grant and Stephen. He's obviously got the superhero looks and superhero physique, but he has the fun and funny and charm that Grant brings to Barry. Just from what I've seen so far in the dailies, we are so grateful that he's taken another step back into the DC Universe.

IGN: What about his alter ego? Any hints of that or how that might present itself?

Kreisberg: Well, you don't bring Brandon Routh onto your show to not go down that path. As always with these things, how, when, where and why will be the journey of the season.

IGN: Let me flip over to The Flash, and the introduction of another DC character, with the recent Firestorm announcement.

Kreisberg: Well, we'll first meet him in flashbacks, and then we'll see how it evolves from there. I got to know Robbie [Amell] a little bit. Obviously I didn't work on The Tomorrow People, but Greg [Berlanti] did. So I got to see him on the set and got to know him a little bit. He's just such an amazing kid and just a special guy. When we knew we wanted to bring Ronnie in, you know, it was a list of one. Again, we're just so grateful Robbie was willing to come and play.

IGN: I know the week these casting announcement came out, there were some jokey tweets and retweets going around with the Amells and Brandon and Grant about how you're building quite the pseudo-Justice League here between these two shows -- lots of DC characters going on!

Kreisberg: Yeah, I mean, you've got Ray Palmer, you've got Ronnie Raymond, you've got Oliver Queen, Barry Allen.

IGN: You’ve got your Canary!

Kreisberg: Canary! You have Katana. So there's a lot.

IGN: So you know people are going to be hoping for that super-mega crossover where all these people are standing there together in costume eventually.

Kreisberg: I'd be hoping for that too! Like I said, all of this is a dream come true. When we started Arrow, I had no idea that we'd ever be standing here with a spinoff, let alone a spinoff including the Flash, let alone having both shows have Firestorm, Huntress, Katana and all of the other amazing DC characters at our disposal. It's been so thrilling for DC Comics and how open they've been with their playbook for us. We just keep getting these opportunities. It's pretty cool.

IGN: Before I let you go, since you mentioned her, I'll ask about Katana and opening up the flashbacks to an off-island scenario to introduce her.

Kreisberg: This is actually something we've been planning for a really long time. We had a couple of big ideas early on. One was that Sara was alive, and one was that, at the end of year two, Oliver wakes up and he's not on the island. So it's actually pretty amazing to be here, starting Season 3, and having so many of these big ideas come to fruition. You know, we're so excited by it, because for one thing, as fun as the island was, it did start to become very limiting. There was a limited number of characters, and sometimes we had to tread water to avoid hitting some big sign posts too fast. Sometimes we treaded water better than other times. One of the things that we really learned was that the audience now is able to follow along, and if we do an -out-of-sequence flashback, like seeing Dig's flashbacks last year or Sara's flashbacks, this year we're able to do more of that. Hopefully the flashback story feels more streamlined. Just being in Hong Kong and seeing -- you know, I think people assumed it was five years on the island, but there've been these hints all along, whether it was stuff Oliver said or his relationship with Amanda, where in the present there were hints that Oliver had a much richer life than five years on the island, and getting to explore that and seeing the kinds of things he did and the missions he went on and what kind of choices he was force to make. There's still some hope in humanity in Oliver, and I think the guy who comes back in the pilot is a pretty dark, tortured character. This is really the year where, as terrible as things have been up until this point with flashbacks, this is really where we're taking a big step into the darkness.

IGN: What can you say about Katana as far as her personality or how we meet her?

Kreisberg: You know, Oliver has many, many skills, some of which we've seen and some we haven't -- and Katana is going to be another surprisingly large influence on his growth as both a hero and a fighting machine.

IGN: How cool is it for you to see the action figures coming out based on your versions of those characters?

Kreisberg: It's absolutely insane. It is absolutely insane. I keep saying the same thing, and I feel like I sound like a broken record, but to get that box with Oliver Queen and Deathstroke in it, it's just, you know -- I have pictures of myself holding Batman and Superman and Robin when I was three, four or five. That I have that with these characters, it's pretty cool.


http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07...-on-introducing-the-atom-firestorm-and-katana

 

[Jello Biafra]

My head would explode if they actually put together a cool TV version of the Justice League.

 

[satam55]

My head would explode if they actually put together a cool TV version of the Justice League.

Yep. It's reason like that I prefer animation over Live-action when it comes to Television for Marvel, DC, or Star Wars properties.

 

[dabestkeptsecret]

i think DC should reevaluate having tv actors cross over into the movie roles. Especially for arrow, you have a well established character/actor that you would not have to reintroduce to the audience for a justice league movie. After the movie,you could than build up the audience for the show even more. It takes the idea, that these are legit heroes that have their own adventures, and only come together when the threat is big enough. Unlike the marvel universe, where each movie at this stage is just a set up for avengers 2.

 

[prophecypro]

Hope they dont force the Oliver-Felicty narrative and then add this complex love triangle/quadrople they doing with Laurel and Ray