With the popularity of The CW‘s Arrowverse and specifically that of Arrow, fans have long wondered if there will ever be an Arrow movie. It’s a question that series star Stephen Amell recently addressed.
During his recent Facebook Live, Amell answered questions from fans and one fan asked if there would be an Arrow movie. Amell explained why there wouldn’t be, but then went a little further and leaving fans with more questions than answers.
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“No, because we’re still shooting the show,” Amell said. “I will say, though, that… no, I won’t say that.”
So, what did Amell mean when he started to say something but then stopped? While anything is possible it could be that Season 7 itself is a bit of a movie, at least in terms of some of the story. You see, years ago screenwriters David S. Goyer and Justin Marks came together and collaborated on a script for a Green Arrow live-action film entitled “Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max”. The story saw Oliver Queen sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and while in prison, Oliver encountered many villains he helped put away in the first place. In order to escape, Oliver would need the help of those villains.
While that movie ultimately never made it into production, ever since Oliver Queen was sent to prison at the end of Arrow Season 6, fans have wondered if the storyline for Season 7 is, at least in part, inspired by “Escape from Super Max”. It’s something that Amell addressed when speaking with ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con in July.
“I don’t know if that’s going to influence it, but Oliver is definitely in jail and I think that he’s going to be in jail I think longer than people expect.”
Direct influence or not, there are at least a few distinct similarities. Oliver being behind bars is the obvious one, but the upcoming season’s official synopsis also noted that Oliver “will come face-to-face with many of the criminals he placed behind bars as he makes a new home for himself at Slabside Maximum Security Prison”. And, even without there being a full-on Arrow movie, there could be some very cinematic scenes in the upcoming season. One such scene, a naked shower prison fight, is one that will be particularly brutal and may have been the scene behind new showrunner Beth Schwartz having to have a conversation with the network’s censors.
“Beth [Schwartz, Arrow showrunner] and I had a phone call with BNSP, which is our censors… a very lengthy phone call about a particular scene that we never had before,” Arrow director James Bamford has explained. “So, we are really trying to push the limits on the show in the gritty factor. We are trying to go as far as you can go within the confines of our network and what is expected of us and what we can do and can’t do. We are not on Netflix, so we will never be able to X, Y, and Z, but we are damn sure going to try.”
Do you want an Arrow movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Arrow Season 7 will premiere on Monday, October 15th at 8/7c with the episode “Inmate 4587” on The CW.
