No Batman or Harley Quinn For Arrow

Exectutive producer and showrunner of Arrow, Marc Guggenheim, recently attended the Long Beach Comics Expo in Long Beach, CA. 

Guggenheim was part of a panel where he discussed Arrow and working with DC.

Before we dive into Arrow, Guggenheim commented on the 2011 Green Lantern movie noting that he didn’t have control over the film (which explains a lot).

“With ‘Green Lantern,’ we [he and Co-Showrunner Greg Berlanti] really learned the lesson of control. We didn’t have it on ‘Green Lantern.’ It got taken out of our hands at a certain point, and stuff happened. The difference between features and TV is that on TV, as a writer, you’re writing for your life. Every eight business days, there’s a new script due, and as a showrunner, it all goes through your pen. Sometimes what’s getting shot is literally your first draft. At the same time, it’s getting shot.” 

Now on to Arrow, as the series has a darker tone many have compared it to Batman; however, it’s learned the Caped Crusader won’t be appearing any time soon.

We have a great relationship with DC. We sort of navigate with DC which characters in the toy box we have access to. Obviously, ‘Gotham’ has Batman covered… At the same time, DC [recognizes [Green] Arrow doesn’t have a fantastic rogues gallery — we’ve got Count Vertigo, and we’ve used him twice. They know that we need access to other characters, but it’s a give and take. The bottom line is, Batman won’t appear on “Arrow” before he appears on “Gotham,” and “they’ve got about twenty more years to go.”

Guggenheim also answered a fan question about seeing more from Harley Quinn, who was more of an Easter Egg in a Suicide Squad episode of Arrow.

Between “Gotham” and Margot Robbie playing her in the upcoming Suicide Squad film, he stated that the closest they could come is the “wink and a nod” from last season. 

A superhero team spinoff is in the works, which is presently untitled, but Guggenheim offers it isn’t called “The Brave and the Bold.”

It’s also learned that DC has plans for Ted Kord, the second blue beetle, as Arrow wanted to use the character prior to Brandon Routh’s Atom.

Aked if there’s a list of things that can and can’t be used (besides Batman), Guggenheim explained that twice a year they sit down with DC, and each has a list of characters they’d like to use or be used. Katana was a character DC suggested they use. Ray Palmer was originally supposed to be Ted Kord, but DC said, “No, we have plans for that character. How about Ray Palmer?”

Via CBR