No offense to the loyal army of fans who stuck with Arrow for 8 seasons and 170 episodes, but The CW’s superhero series isn’t going to go down in history as one of the most acclaimed TV shows ever made. However, it will be remembered as one of the most important small screen projects of the modern era, having launched an entire shared mythology that doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Plenty of TV series over the years have led to spinoffs, but not many have been the catalyst for the sort of expansive universe that came directly from Oliver Queen’s adventures. Arrow laid the foundations on which The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning and Batwoman built both their fanbase and success, with Superman & Lois set to join the party in the not too distant future.
Stephen Amell’s costumed crimefighter leaves behind an impressive and lasting legacy, then, and while a comeback can never be ruled out given that nobody ever tends to stay dead in the realm of comic books or their live-action adaptations, a new report claims that HBO Max will be rebooting the character with a different actor in the role. Apparently, the plan is to debut him in the Peacemaker spinoff show that’s in the works and if he’s received well, then they might even “launch him into his own series after.” This version will also be “very different” from Amell’s take and is said to be “less gloomy.”
Warner Bros.’ streaming service already has a huge slate of DC-related content in development from Arrowverse co-creator Greg Berlanti’s Green Lantern to The Batman prequel spinoff that recently lost Terence Winter, and if a new episodic take on Green Arrow is indeed going to happen, maybe the studio could dust off David S. Goyer’s Escape From Super Max script, which combined a prison break thriller with a superhero story to put a unique spin on a genre that’s fast becoming ubiquitous.