Something about this seems really….familiar
Comic-Con came and went and there was a lot of information out of it. I still watch Arrow and I go back and forth on it but I am curious about the upcoming season 7. Now at the end of season 6, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow is arrested and is going to be thrown in jail. So at Comic-Con, the CW releases the trailer for season 7. And I watch…
It’s not bad. I’m still on the fence on the show, but something is gnawing at the back of my head. I don’t think too much about it and go along with my life.
Then weeks later it hits me: Season 7 of Arrow is David Goyer’s Escape From Super Max!
Let me back it up.
Back in 2008, after the huge success of Dark Knight, Warner wanted to make more movies based on DC Comic characters. Writer David Goyer hit it out of the park with both Batman Begins and Dark Knight. So Goyer came up with a film starring Green Arrow originally called Super Max. The plot was basically Green Arrow is framed for murder and is put away in a prison filled with supervillains. Alone, outnumbered, and without his arrows, Green Arrow must escape from the prison.
My reaction at the time was this was a horrible idea. Who the heck would want to see Green Arrow not act like Green Arrow. He needs his arrows. This would just be a huge failure at the box office. Well, in any case, the film never got made.
Then in 2012, Arrow hit the airwaves and boy did it hit. The show’s first season was a success. It’s now 7 seasons later, and within that time we’ve seen a slow character development of Green Arrow. He was more than just a bow and arrow. He was a badass. He’s able to handle himself in a fight without his arrows. So this Green Arrow will have no problem surviving in prison surrounded by enemies on all sides and no weapons except his wits. It’s because of the long-term character development this will work really well on TV.
Now I’m not saying if they made the film either back then or today it would flop. I can’t tell you that. But there is only so much you can fit into a movie as opposed to a TV show.
I’m also not saying that the producers of Arrow ripped off Goyer’s idea either. The way things went in season 6, this was the natural transition. Plus the idea of the falsely accused cop is put into prison isn’t a new concept either. It’s all variations on a theme.
Either way, it’s kind of cool to see Goyer’s idea played out on screen…kind of.