by Eric Levy:
The CW’s hit show Arrow is on a mini-break from new episodes. However, fans around the world (at least the ones with an internet connection) were treated to a smorgasbord of goodies Saturday night in Beverly Hills, California.
The cast and crew held a special panel at the annual Paley Fest. Moderated by DC’s Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns, a lot was discussed and revealed in the nearly hour long event.
After being introduced, Johns—equipped with an Aquaman hat (yeah, it’s ok, the character is cool again)—brought out Executive Producers Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim, who told the crowd that they are huge fans of comics and that they are blessed to be able to write for Arrow.
The two didn’t waste any time showing a sizzle reel for the show which showed what’s to come the rest of the season.
SPOILER ALERT: All I can say is… wow! We see shots of Oliver and Slade with guns, the Dark Archer, Roy Harper, and The Huntress telling Detective Lance that Oliver is “The Hood.”
As you can imagine, the teaser got a positive reaction from the crowd. Geoff Johns joked saying, “That was pretty awesome. How many people are going to find out he is Oliver Queen, though?” After some laughs, Johns reintroduced Kreisberg and Guggenheim, and then brought out the cast. First out of the gate was David Ramsey who plays John Diggle. Next up was Ollie himself, Stephen Amell. I geeked out a little on the next one as Katie Cassidy was introduced as the Black Canary to be. Another lady of the show was introduced next—Susanna Thompson—who plays Oliver’s mother, Moira Queen. And last but not least, another Executive Producer, Greg Berlanti.
Here are some of the big moments that I feel happened during the panel:
Tommy Knows Who “The Hood” Is: Amell said that it changes everything about Oliver and Tommy’s friendship. Amell says that Oliver told Diggle and Felicity by design, but he did not tell Tommy by design. Amell joked that the situation is too close for comfort for Oliver saying, “He could just roll over in bed and say ‘hey, Oliver’s the vigilante .’”
Blüdhaven: The fictional DC Universe town will be featured soon—but there will be no Nightwing (bummer).
Future for Black Canary/Roy Harper: It appears that Laurel’s transformation into the character will take time. Guggenheim wants to take a realistic approach to the character. He says that it took Oliver five years to go from being a regular person to a killing machine. Guggenheim says that the evolution has to be earned. Kreisberg added they don’t want to do a disservice to Black Canary or Oliver.
As for Roy Harper, Guggenheim says that we will see more of him this season.
To watch the whole panel, you can click HERE.
Arrow returns Wednesday, March 20th with an all new episode.
Eric Levy covers the hit CW TV show Arrow for DarkMedia. He is a comic book enthusiast who loves to read, watch, and write about his favorite characters. You can follow Eric on Twitter at @LifeinStrips. You can also check out his blog at lifeinstrips.blogspot.com
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