It seems October is right around the corner, and many fans of the DC Comics character Green Arrow are anxiously anticipating the first episode of 'ARROW,' set to launch on the CW this fall. We've seen the trailer for the upcoming show, as well as the reveal of his costume, but up until now we hadn't really heard a whole lot from the people behind the show and what kind of a direction we will see.

'ARROW' will obviously be a darker and grittier take on Green Arrow/Oliver Queen's character, and one that executive producer Andrew Kreisberg claims will be more "grounded in reality." According to him, fans will see a darker and different take on the character, and we will see "an Oliver that is more troubled."

"Our take on the character is less superhero and more Jason Bourne/Ethan Hunt. Keeping it grounded in both a physical and emotional reality."

'ARROW' executive Producer Marc Guggenheim went on to stress that this show will be more of a crime-thriller. According to him, there won't be any random acts of violence, and if he has to kill, "he'll do so for necessity."

Based on everything we've seen from the trailers and early images, it's clear that this is indeed a more serious, darker, and grittier take on Green Arrow and probably one of the most different shows on the CW's line-up for this coming fall. But even though the show won't be so "superhero," that doesn't mean that the creator behind the show aren't taking any inspiration from the comics. According to Guggenheim, the people behind 'ARROW' have taken a lot of inspiration from GREEN ARROW: YEAR 1 and GREEN ARROW: THE LONG BOW HUNTERS.

Minor changes will be made to Oliver Queen's character as well as his supporting cast, however. Queen's parents, for example, will both be alive and kicking (at least at the start of the show) and Queen will also be given a younger sibling appropriately nicknamed "Speedy." The show will lead off with Oliver and his list of people he is seeking vengeance against, but according to Producers, Green Arrow will "give the bad guy of the week the opportunity to do the right thing." As for whether or not we will see Black Canary make an appearance on the show, actress Katie Cassidy left things open ended with a "maybe."

What do you think so far about the upcoming 'ARROW'? From what you have seen, do you like the direction producers have taken with the character? Do you think Justin Hartley should have been Green Arrow instead?

Source: Hollywood Reporter, EW and IGN

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Dark and edgier doesn't make things better.

What I wan't to know is who through those tennis balls?

They already cased Michael Rowe as Deadshot for the third episode titled "The Lone Gunman".

"Deadshot doesn't speak much, so he has to have that physicality," says executive producer Marc Guggenheim on Deadshot. "And Michael certainly has that. He has that look." Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg both agree that the Emerald Archer will likely meet Deadshot again at some point later on in the series. "I think that's very possible," hints Berlanti.

Andrew Kreisberg said “I think that there are going to be nods to the comic book character. If you’re a fan of the comic book, you will definitely recognize Deadshot in what we are doing, in the same way that the pilot is a more grounded and realistic take on the material, our Deadshot is a more grounded and realistic take on the character than the fully costumed and masked super-villain that you see in the comics." He also commented on which distinctive features we will see, saying that “You’ll definitely see the red eye piece, which is the most distinctive, iconic feature of that character, and I will say that with no slam toSmallville intended, it’s a much more faithful version of Deadshot than the Deadshot that was in Smallville.”.

I'm still waiting for my darker, grittier take on plastic man

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat: You would rather have camp robin hood then?

Of course not. But I thought we just moved on from turning the stories darker and grittier and they can be even worse than a campy show. Go read "Rise of Arsenal" that train wreck is so horrible its hilarious.

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat: You would rather have camp robin hood then?

Of course not. But I thought we just moved on from turning the stories darker and grittier and they can be even worse than a campy show. Go read "Rise of Arsenal" that train wreck is so horrible its hilarious.

Can't wait for this! I love Green Arrow but I hate the New 52 one. So this will help my need for Green Arrow a lot lol.

I don't know about you guys but I am looking forward to it. Hopefully it's good overall.

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat said:

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat: You would rather have camp robin hood then?

Of course not. But I thought we just moved on from turning the stories darker and grittier and they can be even worse than a campy show. Go read "Rise of Arsenal" that train wreck is so horrible its hilarious.

That isn't dark and gritty. it's extreme and violent. Having the Green Arrow show more realistic is A) cheaper and B) more inline with DC's current style of movies

I hope this can work out with Wonder Woman and Superman because not every DC superhero translate well into realism.

@Skaddix said:

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

lmao, right!? its like if something is too heroic and lighthearted, it is considered outdated and raged upon IMDB by fanboys.

this dark knight trilogy pretty much set the standard as far as on screen heroes go.

EX. Superman saving kids from a burning building and then telling kids to stay away from fire= Bad

The kids burn in the building, then superman goes into a dark rage and beats whoever set the fire to the building to a pulp. = Good

lol

Is it bad that the only thing that made me really want to watch this series was the announcement of Deadshot and Deathstroke?

If those two get ruined and/or jobbed out, I'm boycotting.

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat said:

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

@CaioTrubat: You would rather have camp robin hood then?

Of course not. But I thought we just moved on from turning the stories darker and grittier and they can be even worse than a campy show. Go read "Rise of Arsenal" that train wreck is so horrible its hilarious.

That isn't dark and gritty. it's extreme and violent. Having the Green Arrow show more realistic is A) cheaper and B) more inline with DC's current style of movies

I hope this can work out with Wonder Woman and Superman because not every DC superhero translate well into realism.

Appartently they're pulling from good source material. The previews look promising. This may actually turn out to be watchable.

@Jonny_Anonymous: please tell me how that little teaser trailer of superman on a fishing boat, hitchiking like the hulk and flashback as a little kid witha cape, and a glimpse of him flying in the air makes you confident that he will translate well into realism??

I hope this is more like Alphas and less like The Cape. The Cape was laughable and a complete abomination.

The dark and gritty trend is a little annoying but I can deal with it. As long as Marvel Studios is there as a contrast, I'll live.

I am so excited for this show to come out. This is most anticipated show for the fall

@Jonny_Anonymous: please tell me how that little teaser trailer of superman on a fishing boat, hitchiking like the hulk and flashback as a little kid witha cape, and a glimpse of him flying in the air makes you confident that he will translate well into realism??

I thought Green Arrow was already a dark and gritty character.

Anybody could have inferred that this show was supposed to be dark and gritty just by looking at the trailers.

@The Stegman said:

I thought Green Arrow was already a dark and gritty character.

I guess they mean even darker.....er and more grittier.....er

Dark and Gritty, never tire of that description.

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Dark and edgier doesn't make things better.

@Bestostero said:

Dark and Gritty, never tire of that description.

Me neither.

'Grim and gritty' © 1990s

@CaioTrubat: it sure does. Otherwise we'll get another soap opera like Smallville.

@WaveMotionCannon said:

@Skaddix

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

@CaioTrubat

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Dark and edgier doesn't make things better.

Looks good to me. Would you guys prefer the boxing glove arrows make a come back

I am not saying it its a bad thing but its overused like hell and if done badly, its really really bad. Just look at Rise of Arsenal.

I'm actually looking forward to this show. The preview seems interesting enough and it's not like I'm watching anything else on television.

Dark and gritty works for Batman.. but never once did I look at Green Arrow and think dark and gritty.. isn't he like the exact opposite of that. The only real dark story I remember with Green Arrow was the one about drug addiction.

@WaveMotionCannon said:

@Skaddix

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

@CaioTrubat

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Dark and edgier doesn't make things better.

Looks good to me. Would you guys prefer the boxing glove arrows make a come back

I am not saying it its a bad thing but its overused like hell and if done badly, its really really bad. Just look at Rise of Arsenal.

Sounds cool :D

I'm not really surprised but I don't really have an opinion because I haven't seen a full episode. In my experience trailers can be misdirecting. As to the dark and gritty realistic feel to the show, I'm ok with it because Green Arrow is human character with no superpowers, but again, I would rather watch a full episode first.

i hope the series does well though i personally would like an older goatee-d Green Arrow on the streets with just a bow and arrow and not a bunch of gadgets. same thing with the current comic series.

is Roy Harper gonna appear in this at all?

The Mike Grell run on GA was quite `dark and gritty` and that was some of the best writing Ollie ever got. If they look to those years as inspiration then there may be hope for this show yet. The less super powers and trick arrows the better, in my opinion anyway. Ollie`s should be a human story that resides outside the fantastic and focuses more on his social conscience and the declining state of the city. So far the show looks half good and half cheesy but I`ll give it the benefit of the doubt and hope it`ll be watchable for a couple seasons at least.

@Skaddix said:

They don't need to tell us the take is darker and grittier that is assumed to be the standard nowadays.

This

i like green arrow in batman: the brave and the bold series.

This is looking really good.

I won't hold my breath. Nikita was supposed to be dark and gritty too then it ended up being about babysitting Lyndsey Fonseca who looks like a brunette Olson rather than a troubled, eastern-European fugitive. The CW just creates these shows so that Maxim and Fitness models have a place to try out acting.

Hooray dark and gritty Green Arrow (blows kazoo glumly). I'll give it a shot but I always loved Green Arrow because he was like Batman but with a sense of humor; now he's just Batman without the goofy pointy ears and a fist full of arrows. Dark and gritty has just gotten so boring especially with characters that don't normally have a dark and gritty angle. This could have easily been a Punisher TV series and it would be awesome. Like I said I'll give it a shot but it's kind already disappointing.

Is there any possibility that Hal Jordan might be in the show? They are BFF and I love Hal Jordan/GL.

Dark and gritty is standard in this kind of thing. I'd be more surprised if they did a very upbeat colorful world full of wacky villains and snappy catch phrases like the Adam West's Batman. I'd actually really like it if this show was a bit more super hero-y to discern itself from the other common mystery crime shows. From exploding arrows to talking villainous Gorillas. I like that DC is a more fantastical world. If this is just another crime show with the added lure of it being based upon the DC hero, then it's not all that appealing to me. But that's just my wishful thinking. Besides with TV budgets, any talking gorillas would be done in a very crude CG form, so why even bother with that nonsense. I will still watch this show and I'm sure I'll love it.

I can't decide if I'm gonna' like this show...

@modunhanul said:

Is there any possibility that Hal Jordan might be in the show? They are BFF and I love Hal Jordan/GL.

T H I S !!!!!!!!!!!!!

idk why there doing a green arrow show we allready know alot about him from his other tv show smallville. in my opion a supergirl show with laura vandervoort would have been better.

@ztriger said:

I'm still waiting for my darker, grittier take on plastic man

Win!

This is one of the few DC characters who actually fits with a dark, gritty, realistic approach. The only problem is that not many other DC characters have the luxury of being able to make this transition.

Deadshot appearing in Arrow- http://www.tvguide.com/News/Arrow-Ca...t-1050903.aspx

@CaioTrubat: @Nova`Prime` said:

Dark and gritty works for Batman.. but never once did I look at Green Arrow and think dark and gritty.. isn't he like the exact opposite of that. The only real dark story I remember with Green Arrow was the one about drug addiction.

OMG. you're kidding right?

You mean you never read Long Bow Hunters and ongoing by Mike Grell? Heres an entry on wikipedia

In 1987, DC Comics launched the character into a new ongoing title as part of their mature audience comic line. Written and illustrated by Mike Grell, the revamp was launched with Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters mini-series. In this three-issue prestige formatlimited series, a routine adventure against a group of drug runners led to tragedy as Black Canary was captured and brutally tortured. In response, Green Arrow murders his girlfriend's attackers. The mini-series would also introduce the enigmatic female Japanese archer, Shado, whose family suffered in a World War II internment camp.

Under Grell, Green Arrow would abandon the use of his trademark gadget arrows and relocate from Star City to Seattle, Washington. As the series was part of DC Comics' mature audience line, it took on a more gritty, violent, and urban tone, with Green Arrow often using deadly force against his enemies. Grell wrote the series for the first 80 issues, downplaying the super-hero aspects of the characters; Oliver abandoned his mask and was never actually referred to as "Green Arrow", and Black Canary was never shown using her sonic scream power (sometimes explained as having lost it due to the events of The Longbow Hunters, though this was not consistent with her appearances in other titles published during this period). While crossover specials were conceived to allow other writers (most notably Denny O'Neil, who wrote Batman and the mature audience comic The Question) to use Green Arrow, Grell wrote him as largely isolated from the rest of the DC Universe; when other DC characters like longtime friend Hal Jordan (a.k.a. Green Lantern) appeared, they did so in street clothes and used only their civilian names.

In place of the super-hero community, Grell created his own supporting cast. In addition to Shado, Grell introduced Seattle police Lieutenant Jim Cameron, who was disgusted with Green Arrow's vigilante actions (including killing criminals); renegade CIA agent Greg Osborne, who began to monitor Queen's activities; and mercenary Eddie Fyers, initially introduced as Queen's adversary, but later to become a companion of necessity when Green Arrow was forced to leave Seattle after false accusations of aiding terrorists. Grell's run ended with Green Arrow #80, shortly after Dinah dumped Oliver.

During this period, the writer also redefined the character's origin in the four-part 1992 limited series, Green Arrow: The Wonder Year. Grell portrayed Oliver Queen as a thrill-seeker who inherits his family business at a very young age. Changed by his sojourn on the island, Oliver decided to take up crime fighting as a means of rebelling against his responsibilities. During his first adventure in Star City, Oliver Queen meets an old flame, Brianna Stone, a former college radical who warns him if he continued to carry his bow, he would one day have to use it for real. Grell's limited series also established Queen's attraction toward dangerous women.

Here are some pictures from Green Arrow Year One by Diggle and Jock

Gallery

Do you consider this the exact opposite of dark and gritty?

It's a bit sad to see that they're not going to portray Oliver as a witty charming character. But instead we get Batman-lite-but-kills. I always thought that was one of the defining features of Oliver, another rich guy who disciplined himself but he went through a different journey and hence ended up as someone a lot less bitter than Batman but effective in his own way.

This Oliver Queen seems to be a hard-core death stare looking killer, like Ryan Gosling from Drive. I'm just gonna have to give this a chance and be open to the reinterpretation, and see how it goes.