Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Could it happen?

We've been aware of this project for a while now, though we are sceptical the film will ever be made. Green lighting a Green Arrow movie alone would be an uphill struggle, and this is no simple origin story.

David Goyer (iD&Di: .92), writer of all three Blade movies and Batman Begins, has written a script detailing Oliver Queen's incarceration and escape from the worst prison in the DCU. Well, one of the worst prisons, anyway.

It is particularly appropriate: Queen first picked up a bow while deserted on a tropical island. He isn't superhuman like Superman, lacks a source of cosmic power like Green Lantern; heck, he doesn't even have Batman's strategic ability.

Besides his bow and a handful of trick arrows, Green Arrow has one major advantage going for him: he's a survivor. And putting him into the midst of supervillians sounds like a great way to explore that.

What's more, this could help expand and connect DC's film universe in the way Iron Man brought together Marvel's.

But could this movie actually be made? Granted, the budget could be at least somewhat constrained: it's cheaper to tear up a set - even an expensive one - than to tear up a CG city. But even so it sounds as if there would be no shortage of effects, and that costs money. So the question becomes, "Can Green Arrow support a major motion picture?"

We in The Middle Room have long maintained if you make a good enough movie, people will pay to see it. After all, Iron Man wasn't exactly Marvel's most popular hero. But our opinion, tragically, is not as important as Warner Brothers' and they aren't known for taking risks with their superheroes. While Marvel has moved forward with a dozen or so projects, we've only seen Superman and Batman actually make it to theaters from DC.

On the other hand, they seem to be moving forward with the Justice League, and following Marvel's recent successes, it's hard to imagine the Warners aren't trying to find a way to cash in, as well.

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