1. Oliver’s 5 years on the Island will be explored over 5 seasons
“Oliver has a back story… and we have a plan to tell that backstory over 5 seasons. That’s the plan but all you ever think about is shooting episode 18 right now. That’s our forty-first episode… and all we think about is we need to make our forty-first episode better than our fortieth episode.”
2. Season Finale will be BIG on size and scope
Which he reveals won’t be finished filming until April 17th.
“Some people haven’t heard about the size and scope of our finale. We are actually saving money on episodes we are shooting right now so that we can put it into the finale. And I have no idea how they are gonna turn that around in time.”
3. Diggle is getting his moment in the sun
The “Suicide Squad” episode will be all about Diggle, so much so that Amell will only be filming 4/9 days (usually he films up to 7 days) for that episode.
“Oliver has a back story… and we have a plan to tell that backstory over 5 seasons. That’s the plan but all you ever think about is shooting episode 18 right now. That’s our forty-first episode… and all we think about is we need to make our forty-first episode better than our fortieth episode.”
2. Season Finale will be BIG on size and scope
Which he reveals won’t be finished filming until April 17th.
“Some people haven’t heard about the size and scope of our finale. We are actually saving money on episodes we are shooting right now so that we can put it into the finale. And I have no idea how they are gonna turn that around in time.”
3. Diggle is getting his moment in the sun
The “Suicide Squad” episode will be all about Diggle, so much so that Amell will only be filming 4/9 days (usually he films up to 7 days) for that episode.
Source:
This second season is amazing. All the episodes were excellent and I think the season finale will be epic. I can't wait to see Oliver against Slade. I just have one complaint: the actress that plays Sara is horrible; sometimes I can't even understand what she's saying. I hope she improves her performances.
ReplyDeleteI seems to me that they got Caity Lotz more for her ability to pull of action sequences than her acting, which I am not too fond of either tbh. Performance-wise, she's the weak link in this cast unfortunately. Nothing personal, I'm sure she's a lovely woman and I do enjoy watching her fight.
ReplyDeleteI am kind of more invested in the present day story than the flashbacks but I know that they're extremely important so I can't wait to see what more is in store. 5 seasons is an ideal run for a show with a plan and I don't see Arrow facing a problem getting them all :)
ReplyDeleteAnd *groans* we're talking season finale? Here I'm dying for Feb 26th to come. It's brutal that I'm not getting Arrow tomorrow =P
Also, I love Diggle and wouldn't at all mind another episode around him <33
I think that's why they've chosen her too. She is a great fighter. But is so awful!!!! Anyway, it's a great show!!!
ReplyDeleteReally??? Ignoring Katie Cassidy and Colton Haynes, You go for Caity Lotz as the weakest link? I think Caity Lotz is doing a good job and should become Black Canary eventually.
ReplyDeleteShe can be!!! And there are many more bad actors on the show, but in our opinion she is the weak. All her facial expressions are the same in any situation. Colton is that bad too. But Katie is much mor better than her, in my opinion, of course!!!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but are you confusing between Katie and Caity because if anyone can be accused of having a monotonic face its Katie Cassidy who seems to have forgotten how to use her eyebrows during acting.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, IMO Caity fits in just fine with the rest of the group but Katie, Colton and even Willa are the weak links. Paul and Susanne are the outstanding performers.
ReplyDeleteWilla? Are you crazy? She is currently working overtime to sell the same scene again and again in a way that the audience barely notices. They are lucky that they have her.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with Colton.
are we sure Arrow will make it to five seasons tough ?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the Suicide Squad episode, Diggle getting exposure is always great and I can't wait for Deadshot and Bronze Tiger to be paired up with the rest of the members
they filming until mid April ?!
Usually production is wrapped late march to early april
Most of Willa performances are fairly dull/wooden/muted, IMO. There was one scene in S1, where she talked to Oliver about Moira/Malcolm affair that I thought was really well done but nothing this season has impressed me.
ReplyDeleteColton is very weak, IMO and I worry that he won't be able to pull this Mirakuru rage storyline off.
Arrow will continue to a 5th season if the CW contracts are renewd beyond 2015-2016, and they wrapped in mid April last season too..
ReplyDeleteIf The CW is willing to give a show like Hart of Dixie three seasons, with half the size of Arrow's audience and demo rating, then this show should have no problem making it through five.
ReplyDeleteit's not about the contracts, it's about the ratings....and wether or not theCW survives.
ReplyDeleteIt's tricky to plan ahead 5 seasons while you're only on season 5 is all I'm saying.
Always have a pleasing series finale planned for your current season should be the mantra.
good point, HoD has been kept around due to Rachel Bilson being semi-famous tough
ReplyDeletewe'll see, I don't doubt Arrow reaching five seasons I just don't like something being planned ahead for five years even tough you don't know wether you'll make it to four.
As a showrunner I'd always have a pleasing ending planned in the back of my head to not dissapoint the fans with an open ending
HoD gets more seasons because it's cheap to film (I think). But Arrow's ratings do it justice. Five seasons is very likely.
ReplyDeleteIt is cheaper. Definitely.
ReplyDeleteHaving a road map for extended seasons doesn't mean you can't alter your route if the situation calls for it and do it in a satisfying fashion. One thing The CW is good for is allowing veteran shows time to wrap things up.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that worries me is that during season 1, Guggenheim/Kriesberg said that they want to get all their best story out now rather than save it for later - which might not even come. What I hope is that if they're planning for further seasons, the episodes this season aren't going to decrease in quality.
ReplyDeleteyeah, it is cheaper. Shot on affordable locations, with a small cast, a small recurring cast and fairly little vfx work done behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteI'd say it's next to TTP theCWs cheapest to produce show
you know how it works Brad, if showrunners say they'd call it quits there they're let go and replaced by new ones.
ReplyDeleteThe only ones that have a definite say about Arrow ending are Mark Pedowitz and Stephen Amell. Not even Amell I'd say tough, GA has been replaced by different characters over the years as well.
Arrow ends when theCW says it ends.
Same goes for Vampire Diaries and Supernatural. I always feared that if Ian Somerhalder jumps ship he'll simply be replaced by another bad boy vampire (Michael Malarkey being this years contender for take over, Joseph Morgan filling the safe spot in season 3 and Daniel Gillies in season 2) and either SPN brother leaving being replaced by Cas, Charlie or Garth
true that, still a rushed endings can go both ways...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that's what I was saying but I agree. At the moment, Amell and all the producers, directors, writers etc. all want to be part of the show, and why wouldn't they? It's a great show. I think the risk is that if any of the main three (Amell, Guggenheim, Kriesberg) were to quit, would the show be as good? I seriously doubt it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with it'll end when Pedowitz says, but the likelihood is he'd give it a final run to wrap up everything (eg Nikita). But at the moment, there are four shows that ain't getting cancelled any time soon, and Arrow is one of them.
And didn't Pedowitz say SPN can dictate its future with the current numbers? If the SPN guys wanted to quit in May, then they would, if they wanted to go on another four seasons they'd be allowed to (or at least that's what I understand of it).
I was just throwing that out there
ReplyDeleteOf course they would at the moment but I'm sure at one point Guggenheim and/or Kreisberg will probably call it quits, there're not too many showrunners that stick with a show till its end (much like Kripke, who left SPN to Sera Gamble after season 5).
I don't know wether it'd be as good, worse or better, depends on the showrunner I guess but I haven't seen a show become better as the staff behind the scenes changed.
Yeah but Nikita got its last wish granted on its deathbed, Arrow is far from dying. And a shorunner wanting to end a show that is still reeling in great ratings won't get the approval of CW/WBs suits.
Between what Pedowitz says and does might be a difference, don't get me wrong. I respect the hell out of this guy, he took the mess Ostroff left with her Gossip Girl obsession and built a new lineup and sorta reanimated theCW .
But SPN is theCWs second best performer. I don't think they can afford to end it, or to let the showrunners decide when to end it.
If Jensen and/or Jared leaves they'll definitely artificially keep SPN alive (much like the X-Files) and milk the show dry until it stops spilling out positive ratings.
^ that's a very likely scenario, it happened before (X-Files, Two and a half Men, Spin City, ER, the original 90210, Charmed etc.)
as long if 'Tribes' doesen't perform too well
Arrow finished last week as the top rated show on the CW. A renewal till at least syndication is already a given imo, and I think it will probably still have a good enough ratings for renewal for the CW in its S4.
ReplyDeleteThe CW contracts I referred to are with its affiliates -> if those contracts are not renewed, the CW won't survive.
oh, okay makes sense, sry
ReplyDeleteSorry i can't agree either 1/She has great chemistry with the cast 2/She like Stephen plays her island self and present self very differently and 3/ Yes she kicks ass and does so very believably 4/ She is finally doing justice to the Black Canary i can't ask for more than that
ReplyDeleteSara along with Slade are the highlights of the year to me and i have seriously loved this season
ReplyDeleteI would say we haven't seen Caity enough to judge her. She is great as BC because of her ability to do stunts and her character is written perfectly. I love her in the current story but I am not much impressed with her in the island scenes. Katie Cassidy was horrible in season 1 and in early season 2 but despite atrocious writing she is bringing her A game these past few episodes. Hate her character though.
ReplyDeleteWilla is awesome. Her chemistry with both Oliver, Moira, Walter and Roy is wonderful. Even with Sin her scenes are great. Colton is the weakest of the bunch in my opinion. He is not able to sell for me that he is from the streets and has faced troubles all his life. They need to give a backstory or two for him to flesh him out.
Actually Greg Berlanti told in an interview last year soon after Arrow started that he envisioned this series with flash back scenes for five years and last scene of season 5 will be the first scene of season 1. So this is not new news. What I am wondering if they succeed for 5 years will they continue after that?
ReplyDeleteYou have been listening to John Campea i take it which if you have is bad advise.As far as Sara goes like i have stated before she plays island Sara way different and to me at least believable to who she was back then much the same as Oliver was earlier on the island and for me her standout scene on the island was the scene where she is talking to Ivo on the Walkie talkies she totally sold that scene.If you get a chance check her out in Death Valley she is great in that very different again to Sara
ReplyDeleteHey. I love Sara. This season she is my breakout star. What I meant was we have seen her only a handful of times compared to Roy or Thea. There is so much more story to say for Sara. I would say I have mixed feelings and I am reserving judgement. She is far far better than Katie Cassidy imho. Katie ruined season 1 episodes for me and I badly want her gone.
ReplyDeleteAbout Roy. I always had problems with the actor. I had seen him in Teen Wolf before and I don't see much difference in both these characters and that annoys me a little. Because both characters are really different on paper. I liked him in the finale of last season and early episodes when he stood by Thea and his speech to Oliver in the hospital. But I am not connecting with him after the mirakuru incident and I am hoping to be proven wrong.
I do listen to John Campea but I don't actually like him or agree with most of what he say. I find him condescending. I like inputs of Ann and Kaori, especially Kaori. I like Quiver podcast better.;)
I will check out death valley. Thanks for telling me. I am researching Caity Lotz.
Oh I hated that actress
ReplyDeleteSorry if I hurt your feelings!!!! Fortunately, we can write whatever we want. Just respect my opinion!!! You don't have to agree with it, just respect it. Have a nice day!!!
ReplyDeleteBecause Caity is the weak link, not Sara. So I would credit that to the writers, not the actress. Having said that, I appreciate and respect her hard work as well :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to interrupt but, who is John Campea and why is that bad?
ReplyDeleteI think that Arrow pretty much being guaranteed a long future is a gift for the writers/producers - they can make long term plans without worrying about cancellation. Granted, I don't think they've already figured out what they want to do in Season 5, but as noted here, they were hoping to have 5 seasons' worth of flashbacks in tandem with the 5 years Ollie spent on the island from the get go.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I'd say at least 4 full seasons of Arrow are a no-brainer. It's guaranteed a full third season gives its high ratings, and there's the syndication rule where 3 full seasons make a full fourth season very very likely, to get to 88 episodes. It would take an epic ratings decline next season for Arrow to be in any danger of cancellation. And if it's still doing well or at least decently in Season 4, it won't stop there. So I'm pretty sure they'll know in advance when the show is going to end and have plenty of time to write towards a satisfying ending.
Unfortunately, I'd bet my left ear that no matter how definitive their 5-year plan may be (if they indeed have one), if the ratings are still high in Season 5 they'll go on. And on. And on. Look at Supernatural - I actually think that one originally had a 5-year plan, too, considering that the brothers went up against the devil himself in the fifth season. And yet, here we are in Season 9, with no end in sight. Smallville would've apparently seen an 11th season and beyond if Tom Welling had wanted to continue. There are very few people in this industry with enough artistic integrity to not treat a TV show as a cash cow to be milked endlessly and far past the point of becoming creatively bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteHe is youtube blogger who does after shows after every Arrow episode with two other woman. Its quite famous. Quite a few people tune in. I don't agree with much of what he says but like to hear anoyher perspective about the episode.
ReplyDeleteActually Stephen said in one of the interviews they look for people who can do more action and not better actors because of budget constraints. Actors like Caity Lotz, Katrina Law and Micheal Jay White are trained martial artists. So it reduces cost while filming action scenes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, will do some research to see what his opinions/perspective is
ReplyDeleteThank you for this information!!! I didn't know that. That explains a lot!!! Like I said before, she is a great fighter, I just don't like her as an actress!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not the first time a TV show did that...remember Babylon 5. If it really looks like Arrow has to end earlier, they can still change plans and wrap it up faster. But in general, I prefer it if the writers know where they want to go with their show.
ReplyDeleteI could definitely see Arroe reaching 5 seasons, i don't see anything wrong with that. Especially since it already got renewed for a 3rd season. And since season 2 has been kick ass all the way through,(well so far) season 3 is going to hit it right out of the park.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be nitpicky but Stephen did not say they were going for actors who can do their own stunts over acting ability that statement isn't right
ReplyDeleteThen why can't they write properly for the other Katie the fact is Caity Lotz is more likeable and has better chemistry with the cast
ReplyDeleteIt goes both ways dear i obviously really like her and if they kill her off to me will be the worst thing to happen to the show
ReplyDeleteHe runs a weekly aftershow of arrow and is imo a complete tool
ReplyDeleteThanks for that reply sorry if i rubbed you the wrong way lol
ReplyDeleteOkay. I think I owe a massive apology here. I was sure I had read an interview somewhere about budget concerns and fight sequences but after searching internet I can't find any source material. As they say if there is no source material it is only speculation.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the internet decorum in this case should I delete the above message so people don't get wrong idea?
That's my grievance with Arrow as well. That Katie Cassidy is not being given better material to work with. I don't have an answer to 'why' because I don't know the writers personally. But if I ever get an opportunity to interview them, this will be my first question.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think if you call your 'fact' as more of an opinion then I'll be able to take the second half of your sentence more seriously. Good day :)
Agree Cry of Achillies. Many Black Canary and comic fans are happy with Caity Lotz.
ReplyDeleteWe dont want Katie Cassidy to ruin that.
KC is given material , she just sucks with it. And then they stopped trying.
ReplyDeleteIts cool. I don't get offended easily especially on internet :)
ReplyDelete