Stephen Amell doesn't think Green Arrow will appear in the DCEU, at least not any time soon. According to Screen Rant, Amell had this to say regarding a possible Green Arrow DCEU depiction:
"I don’t believe there are plans for Oliver Queen in the DCEU, based on things people have told me, but I would not be upset if that changed at all. I just thought the timing [of the Flash film casting] was less than appropriate. I do not have a right to Oliver Queen. Someone played it before me, someone voiced it before me, somebody will play him after me."
That's a different tune from what he was singing when the DCEU cast Ezra Miller as its version of Barry Allen. Green Arrow has found a home in our DC and comic book-loving hearts thanks to Amell's portrayal and of course the cast and creators. DC is right about keeping everything separate from their TV counterparts the Arrowverse. Just the mere mention of Green Arrow possibly being part of the DCEU did get me thinking. First, who would be the perfect person? Second, which Green Arrow story could be used to introduce the hooded vigilante, and of course the supporting cast.
Who Is Green Arrow Outside of Arrowverse?
Not much is different — he’s a rich playboy turned hero after some unfortunate events. I am a huge fan of
Arrow, I love what they’ve done with the character and Stephen Amell couldn’t have done a better job. The origin story we see on CW’s
Arrow is a mix of
Green Arrow: Year One, the New 52, and post-Flashpoint version of the hero. Unfortunately, on TV we only get to see his origin story via flashbacks and the story arch is vastly different. This where the DCEU can capitalize on the hooded hero.
There is no getting around the similarities between Green Arrow and Batman, but a big screen depiction should separate the two as much as possible.
DC comics has already done a great job at separating Green Arrow from Batman in the new Green Arrow: Rebirth. So, for the DCEU let's go ahead and kill the Ra's al Ghul and the Batman voice modulator.
The Green Arrow is very dark, gritty, and deals with a number of serious issues (including drug addiction), so it should keep the dark tone. Green Arrow is a part of Justice League, so he should be in the DCEU. Whether it is with Justice League Society of America or the Canadian JL team, he’s always been a staple. Plus, he and Hal Jordan have shared some memorable moments in their team-up adventures, so yeah, it's kinda hard
not to have Green Arrow in a world where he's a prominent figure. For goodness sake, he's tangled with Deathstroke, teamed up with Batman, married Black Canary, and he's best friends with Hal Jordan.
With so many connections across comics, adding Green Arrow is a critical necessity for DC. I say we get to the origin that makes Green Arrow more unique. Green Arrow: Year One is the story that would best separate the DCEU’s Green Arrow from the CW’s and make for the best movie, and here is the blueprint to make it happen. A movie featuring Oliver Queen should start off with him living it up, partying, sex, drugs, and music.
Oliver Queen: The Man Before The Hood
In a world where heroes exist and super powered evil doers threaten our very existence Oliver Queen is too busy to give a $h!t. Still an orphaned, rich, playboy, Ollie is a thrill-seeking and empty soul without a care in the world. He spends money unnecessarily and couldn't care less about anything in the world that doesn’t affect him. While on a "mandatory" forced charity trip to Seattle he meets the very mysterious Dinah Lance and they hit off. At first, Dinah doesn't exactly take Oliver too seriously because of who he is. After a long conversation she realizes his need for an extravagant social life is to fill the void left by the death of his parents and lack of responsibilities. She senses something in him that she can relate too, especially the loss of his parents, and like him she is also suppressing a secret. The two will eventually began dating.
Dinah asks Oliver to do more: shed the shallow playboy imagine and help people. Oliver declines, arguing that he doesn't have to do anything, so he blows the Seattle native off. After highlighting the jerk he is (especially his disregard for the underprivileged, including a run-in with a young Roy Harper), the story should pick up where
Green Arrow: Year One starts.
Ollie trust only one person: his hired bodyguard, Hackett. In fact, Ollie's trust in Hackett allows him to invest millions of dollars into a resort in Fiji. Oliver asks Hackett to take a trip with him — one of his many thrill seeking adventures. During the trip, Hackett explains that Oliver acted stupidly with his decision to stop seeing Dinah. Hackett explains that she was right about Oliver and his yearn for the extravagant, selfish lifestyle. After the trip, Oliver feels super guilty, but his pride won't allow it to admit out loud.
After throwing a party, Ollie realizes it's lost some its luster, still he ignores and refuses to call Dinah. Instead, he attends a charitable function spending $100,000 on a Howard Hill bow and making a drunken fool of himself, calling everyone at the function fake, including himself. After the party, while in the limo, Oliver decides to join Hackett on his trip to Fiji, but not before finally calling Dinah up and telling her she was right.
While on the yacht, it’s revealed that Hackett’s $14,000,000 plan was a scheme. He and his associate Chien Na-Wei (China White) used “Fiji” as a cover-up for some illegal activity, Hackett confessed. Bow in hand, Oliver threatens the life of his former friend to no avail. He and Hackett exchange blows after Ollie decks him with a right hand, sending both Hackett and his gun to the floor.
Unfortunately, the army-trained Hackett wins the battle, leaving Ollie incapacitated. Not willing to shoot Ollie, Hackett decides to throw him overboard. Oliver then washes up on an island, alone and stranded.
Oliver’s Journey On The Island
Upon washing up on the island, Oliver utilizes his natural talent for archery as a survival tool. Though he initially struggles, Oliver does hone his skills and his survival instincts kick in. After some time, he finds tranquility and peace. When the first signs of rescue arrive, Ollie signals the plane. Unfortunately, they open fire in an attempt to kill him. With this newfound peace and confidence, Oliver stands his ground and shoots the plane out of the air with an arrow.
After shooting down the plain, Oliver wanders into a poppy seed field as he's tracking the downed aircraft. After stealing some needed items from the fallen plane, a young, pregnant woman named Taiana, approaches him. She informs Oliver that the natives are being forced into slavery, and had been for years after China White and her associates torched their village. Oliver hides as China and her men inspect the wreckage. Oliver sees his old friend Hackett among them.
Oliver confronts Hackett after sundown and the two men battle. Hackett admires Oliver’s newfound talents and explains that he’s at risk as long as Oliver is alive. Hackett also reveals to Oliver that China is the biggest drug dealer in the world. Both men were left bloody and bruised, with Oliver taking the brunt of it all, leaving him immobilized. Taiana, the pregnant woman nursed him back to health with the help of opium. Back at their headquarters, it’s explained that China and Hackett has enough genetically modified heroin to infest America. Simultaneously, China threatens Hackett with a torturing demise if he doesn’t find Ollie and kill him.
Becoming The Green Arrow
The doped-up Ollie has healed and is struggling with his opium addiction. His guardian angel Taiana helps him through the trying time and informs him that a boat will be leaving from the island to America soon. When Ollie asks that she come with her, she declines. Oliver asks about the baby’s father and she explains that he was taken, and his screams could still be heard on the island. She explains that the people have felt safe with him, with Oliver. They call him their hero "Auu Lanu Lau'Ava," which translates to "Green Arrow." Before she could leave, a gunman spotted them and Oliver was forced to kill him and flee. The withdrawn, shaky addict escapes gunfire through the jungle, eventually finding and boarding a vessel that turns out to be the Pacific Queen.
Oliver boards his old yacht steering the Pacific Queen to the island and torching it as a distraction. He uses his fighting skills to rid himself of any immanent threats before taking over another ship loaded with military equipment. There, he makes a proclamation to change his life and thank Taiana for saving his soul before approaching China’s base. After exploding a gas tank, allowing Taiana to free the slaves, Oliver was electrocuted by his old friend Hackett while trying to make a distress call.
The End Of A Journey
Oliver is sprung free after he and Hackett were smoked out thanks to the island natives. Taiana leads the natives and overtakes the submarine, but refuses to leave without Green Arrow. After escaping armed men, Oliver is attacked by Hackett. Before he could kill Oliver, Taiana rescues him. With a gun to his head, Hackett and Oliver exchange words. China kills Hackett and she and Green Arrow are at a standoff. After a soliloquy about Robin Hood, he shoots an arrow, dropping a crate onto China and her men.
In the end, Taiana has her baby and a rescue party is on the way, Oliver admits his desire to become a hero as he sets his sights on Starling City. There you have it — my way and reason to make Green Arrow: Year One a perfect introduction for Oliver Queen into the DCEU and separates his origin story from his CW counterpart. Here is the cast I think could make a Green Arrow movie and sequel work.
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow — Garrett Hedlund
Hedlund would kill it as a struggling, spoiled playboy on a quest for redemption. I must admit, Hedlund is one of my favorite misused actors. A lot his movies haven’t exactly been hits. I've watched him grow on screen from
Troy, Four Brothers, Tron, and
Unbroken. Time and time again, he’s stood out on screen. In
Pan, I saw a different side to him, showing his ability to be loud and boisterous as the young version of Captain Hook. There are quite a few guys that would nail the role, like
often cast fan favorite Charlie Hunnam. However, Hedlund being about four years younger just fits the mold, plus he's not one of the names brought when fans think Green Arrow and it's a shame.
Hackett — Jude Law
I don't have to explain why Jude Law makes more sense (cents) than 100 pennies. From A.I. to Sherlock Holmes, Jude Law's resume speaks for itself. The Repo Man star has shown his willingness to play second fiddle like he did in Spy. Playing alongside a guy like Hedlund as an Alfred to Green Arrow's Batman I think would bring some legitimacy to the role. Law would be great at playing the crooked friend whose both remorseful and vengeful.
Taiana — Q'orianka Kilcher
I assure you this is not lazy casting, though I can see why you'd think so. The New World, where she played Pocahontas, was so long ago, but her performance was memorable. Since then, the German-born actress has featured on Sons of Anarchy as Kerrianne Telford. In 2017 she's set to co-star in a horror thriller The Vault, also starring James Franco. I have no doubt she'd be able to pull of the strong leader who nurses Oliver and frees her people.
China White — Grace Huang
The name is probably followed by the sound of crickets, and I get it. Man, did she catch my attention in the short film Bloodtraffick. The short was created in 2011 and it must have caught the attention of Hollywood execs because she went on to play in The Man with the Iron Fists 1 & 2, Infini, and most recently Independence Day: Resurgence. She'd do a great job bringing the intimidatingly sexy, white-haired, torturing boss to the big screen. Just check her out in Bloodtraffic to a glimpse why:
Roy Harper / Red Arrow — Douglas Booth
Roy Harper is the longtime sidekick of the green archer. Roy is a man of many names: Arsenal, Red Arrow, and of course, Speedy. Roy picked up archery after the death of his father thanks to his mentor, Brave Bow. Roy's character battles some dark demons, including addiction, after the Titans disband and neglect and abandonment from his mentor Green Arrow. Roy's story gets better thanks to Green Lantern and Black Canary. DC, comic, and cartoon fanatics alike had the pleasure of seeing a great depiction of Roy Harper thanks to the greatest cartoon ever: Young Justice. But CW’s Arrow Roy (played by Colton Haynes) gave us our first live-action adaption with the name Arsenal. Haynes nails the role so much it left us wanting more, so please bring him to the DCEU.
Douglas Booth would without a doubt bring what’s needed to make the playboy, poverty-stricken speedy archer worth watching. It was his role in Noah as Shem and his role as Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that made him perfect for Speedy. For the DCEU, it would be great to explore Speedy’s origin because of the depth that his character provides. For this movie he’d be a lot younger — someone whom Oliver mistreated during a charitable function. For a sequel, he should be reintroduced as someone Oliver relates to after he looses his fortune and forced to live in poverty. Roy would be a great way to help Oliver get through the rough times, and adjust. In a sequel, upon Oliver's return to Star City, Roy feels left out with Oliver's new attitude and his need to protect Roy. He leaves Oliver's side and goes on to start Young Justice.
Dinah Laurel Lance / Black Canary — Blake Lively
Black Canary is another fantastic DC martial artist. She' s tough as an overcooked steak, but she also has a feminine side. Her origin is a bit complex and doesn't exactly follow the status quo of a Green Arrow' s. She's been a criminal turned good, from another Earth, and a street orphan which makes her character very interesting. Canary's a character that has been has been used a ton from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Smallville, and Young Justice, but it's Arrow's version that gave us our first live action look at the hero. Currently the Black Canary is being played very well by Katie Cassidy on Arrow, after Caity Lotz changed colors to white on Legends of Tomorrow. The former hasn't received very positive reviews from fans but I think she's vastly improved and deserves some love.
Blake Lively is Dinah Lance. It's not like fan favorites Emily Blunt, Katheryn Winnick, or Yvonne Strzechowski won't do great, but Blake is up and coming. The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants star has been on a role with her most recent film proving she can hold down a movie alone in The Shallows. Combine that with her role as Adeline, Savages, and her brief stint with DC as Carol Ferris in DC’s failed Green Lantern movie, and you have the perfect Black Canary. She was even interested in returning to DC as Star Sapphire at one point. That shouldn’t happen — I'll bet it had more to do with co-starring with her husband again. I'm sure she'd rather be eaten by a shark than reprise that role.
Black Canary is a must for the DCEU — she's too important not to have, and according to rumors, she very well may be part of the DCEU. Since she could possibly be part of the DCEU, potentially being in a Birds of Prey movie. Why not insert her into Green Arrow or vice versa? Blake should be the woman to play Dinah "Black Canary" Laurel Lance. DC would be wise to snatch her up again and exploit her talents. Dinah's role in the first movie would be as someone Oliver is immediately attracted to. She goes op a few dates with him, seeing past his shallow exterior. Their relationship becomes shaky after she challenges Oliver to do more for his community and show the world who he really is. Instead, he breaks it off, parties harder and eventually goes on the trip that changes his life. A sequel would see Dinah's life change with the death of her husband whom she met and married during Oliver's years away and her moonlighting (unbeknownst to the returning Oliver) as a vigilante Black Canary.
Mia Dearden / Speedy — Chloe Grace Moretz
The tortured former prostitute turned hero after pleading with Oliver to take her in. In the New 52, she’s even beaten and tortured by her own father, and she's the first hero to have HIV/AIDS, making Mia a very complex and layered character. Mia has actually been used once before on Smallville Season 9.
We see the sexy Willa Holland doing a great job portraying a Mia like character as Thea Queen on Arrow. She's explored many ups and downs, similar to the comic book version, even having the same nickname — Speedy. Even with her excellent portrayal, Willa's version is a mixture of female sidekicks Oliver Queen has taken under his hood
Chloe Grace Moretz has been fan cast quite a bit in all genres of superhero cinema. I am jumping on the bandwagon once again. Female hero roles are thin, but if there’s ever an actress perfect for the genre it’s this Kick Ass star. In her young acting career Chloe has shown her versatility, from Kick Ass to Carrie, Neighbors, The Equalizer, and The 5th Wave. Her resume is impressive and she’s been part of every genre from horror to romance. While her movies haven’t exactly been blockbusters, she’s shown the ability pull off any role. She'll also be starring in a much darker version featuring Disney's underwater princess Ariel. Seeing Chloe in comic cinema outside her purple-haired Kick Ass character Hit Girl would be pretty sick.
Lady Shiva — Veronica Ngo
Shiva is arguably the deadliest assassin in DC only second to Deadpool. She trained Tim Drake and is the mother to Cassandra Cain (Batgirl). The timeline for Shiva would be after she and Canary had already met in Hong Kong. In her late 30s, the Detroit-born Sandra Wu-San would be wise beyond her years. She'd serve as someone Oliver learns from after barely escaping Brick with his life. He leaves Star City once again, seeking the help of Lady Shiva after Dinah recommends her. Ngo is pretty unknown, but if you've watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword Destiny she may look familiar — she plays Mantis. I saw her in the English dubbed version of Clash where she plays the mother of a kidnapped girl who hires mercenaries to help complete impossible tasks. Ngo would be a fantastic as a fresh face that could make the short-term Birds of Prey member and hero-trainer someone to remember.
John Diggle — Morris Chestnut
Diggle has become a fan favorite thanks to David Ramsey. Fans loved him so much that he’s been added to the DC comics. He has a long way before he's Harley Quinn, but I think Diggle's untold story in the army and connection with A.R.G.U.S. and Amanda Waller would be great to explore. The billionaire's body guard would be a great addition after Hackett’s betrayal in a Green Arrow sequel. Morris Chestnut is one person I would trust to do the job well. I’ve been a fan of his since Boyz n the Hood and I’ve watched him grow as an actor. His resume is decent; he's been in an action movie or two he's been in Kick Ass 1 & 2, and he’s shown his dramatic side in The Best Man. Now he has is own show, Rosewood, on Fox, proving he can be a leading man. Should they give DCEU a Diggle, Chestnut is the ideal person for the role.
The Villains (Not Named Deathstroke Or Merlyn) Who’d Make Great Foes
Count Vertigo — Ralph Fiennes
To me, the spoiled metahuman and heir to the throne of Vlatav should be portrayed by someone much older than Green Arrow. Ralph Fiennes is more than capable of playing a menacing vengeful, rich ruler with an army at his beck and call. He was the ruler of the entire underworld in Wrath of the Titans. He was Harry Potter's sworn enemy, the evil Lord Voldemort, and he has been a fixture in the Bond series as M, so Count Vertigo would be a walk in the park. The backstory I'd like to go with will be Count Werner Zytle, whose father was killed and his mother left him alone to be a victim of science. After being the test subject for scientists, giving him his ability to cause disorientation, essentially giving him the means to take back his land. Pitting Green Arrow against this version of the Count in a movie would be great — it would give him a super powered enemy like he's never faced before.
Brick — Terry Crews
Danny Brickwel is big time gangster (pun intended) in Star City. Vinnie Jones did a good job on Arrow, but Crews will take it to the next level. Brick seems like a fantastic criminal for a rookie hero like Green Arrow to go up against. Highlighting Brick’s rise in Star City after being released from prison would show the parallels of the two Star City natives. But Oliver wouldn’t face the super human kingpin and win.
It won’t be until he has lost everything and forced to become stronger and faster, thanks to Lady Shiva. Crews is usually a comedic actor, but he’s more than capable of being an intimidating villain. His small role in Training Day is one reason, but it’s his role in Expendables that lends itself towards his serious side. Brick doesn’t have to be a throwaway villain either; he’d be great to revisit from time to time in other DC films.
Constantine Drakon — Scott Adkins
While I am aware that it is a cardinal sin to cross cast comic cinema people, I highly doubt Adkins role in Doctor Strange is major, though his role is still foggy. The ass-kicking B-movie action star is primed for a role, especially one like Drakon, who's an expert martial artist and assassin with ties to Deathstroke. Drakon’s character doesn’t have the lengthy bio that most villains have, so the freedom to create and explore a fresh villain is there. Adkins is up and coming and he's grown a lot from stunt man to an actor. I think he'd be excellent as Drakon in what could be a steal for DC and bigger role than he has with Marvel. Go check out the action star in Close Range and see if you agree or not.
Do You Think Green Arrow Should Be Part of the DCEU?
Thanls to Comic Book Movie for allowing me to share my work from moviepilot.com here.https://creators.co/@TheUltimateFan