With Stephen Amell’s Arrow becoming a fan-favorite show in the 2010s, the creatives behind the series considered the idea of a Green Arrow movie. However, it did not sit well with the higher-ups at Warner Bros., and Amell teases why that was the case.
Stephen Amell says WB ‘killed’ Green Arrow movie plans
Following his exit from the Arrowverse, Stephen Amell found strong footing with Heels and the Code 8 movie franchise. He is also set to enter the courtroom drama space with the Suits L.A. spin-off. However, Arrow is likely to remain synonymous with him throughout his career.
In a recent appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Amell said that he “joked” about his return as Green Arrow with Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti.
With more TV-MA superhero shows, including The Boys, Invincible, Daredevil, and The Punisher, finding success in the current era, Amell believed that the dark aesthetic of Arrow could work well if catered to a mature audience. Talking about a potential return, he continued:
“I think that it would be wonderful one these days to go back and do something that was in a medium where I could break bones and drop an F-bomb and just sort of go the ‘hard R’ [rating] version of Arrow.” (via CBR)
Following this, Rosenbaum suggested the idea of a Green Arrow movie, to which Amell replied, “That’d be fun.” But, he also mentioned that the plans for a spin-off film had already been canceled in the past. When Rosenbaum asked why, the Arrow actor answered:
“To my understanding, it just got killed at the studio level from people that, I think, were making decisions…that were fear-based.”
Here’s Rosenbaum and Amell’s entire podcast episode:
While Stephen Amell’s days as Green Arrow are over, his fans could see him star in Heels and lead the Suits L.A. spin-off show. But, whether James Gunn makes Green Arrow’s live-action return happen in the DCU remains to be seen.