With the end of Smallville and the demise of the ill-fated Wonder Woman pilot, there is a distinct lack of live action superheroics on our TV screens. Luckily for us then, that there are two series’ based on DC properties in varying stages on development.
American network, The CW is first off the mark with Arrow, based, unsurprisingly, on DC’s Green Arrow. Despite this character having already made a lengthy and memorable appearance on Smallville, The CW claims that this new version will exist in a separate continuity. Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen has been recast with Stephen Amell taking the role.
The network has taken great pains to distance this new show from its predecessors, and even its source material. The vice-president of development at The CW claims “It’s very provocative and sophisticated and edgy. It’s not as comic book-y as Smallville or other [superhero projects] from other networks.” The obsession with dark and gritty spins on superheroes is wearing pretty thin at this stage, and we all have Christopher Nolan to thank for that. I’m having a bit of trouble visualising how edgy a guy who shoots trick arrows can realistically be, and I think Oliver Queen’s origin story and early career has been pretty well covered by Smallville. The good news is that Dinah ‘Laurel’ Lance, better known to comic fans as Black Canary, has also been cast as a love interest. Let’s just hope that should this pilot get picked up, she’ll graduate to full on superheroics herself, and not just become Queen’s constantly imperilled girlfriend. Oliver and Dinah are without a doubt my favourite superhero couple and I’d love to see that relationship done well on television.
Syfy also recently revealed the projects they are developing, and among the inevitable reality fare, there was the exciting inclusion of a Booster Gold pilot. For those unfamiliar with the character, Booster Gold is a washed up athlete from the future, who travels back in time and attempts to become the world’s greatest superhero, but is more concerned with fame and fortune than justice. The character had a well-received appearance in the cameo-laden final season of Smallville and is a fan favourite for his humour and overall likability.
One possible stumbling block for this show, however, is that the writer and executive producers both worked on the aforementioned Arrow. This could be a good thing, meaning they’re already in the comic book mindset. Or, it could mean that they’ll take that fervent desire for the ‘provocative’ and ‘edgy’ and stamp it all over a character than is definitely, gleefully, neither of those things. Only a script has been ordered so far, so it may never even see the light of day. But Booster Gold is such a unique character, with tons of charm and potential that it’d be a shame to see this fall by the wayside.
With these two projects in development, it’s almost impossible to predict who’ll be next for the TV treatment – any guesses?
