Thanks to ODA for the heads up
NERDIST: You just mentioned you’ve given some consideration to an Atom spin-off series…
MARC GUGGENHEIM: The thing that we’ve been talking about is just how do we further expand the universe; and we love Brandon and we love having him on Arrow.
N: He brings a new dynamic to the show in his scenes with Emily Bett Rickards’ Felcity, a kind of screwball comedy vibe.
MG: He does. When we met with Brandon, the whole point of Ray Palmer for us — not the whole point but a big piece of Ray Palmer — was… Felicity’s voice is of a different show and we always say that Emily’s playing tennis against herself. [Laughs.] So we wanted to create a character that could vibrate at her frequency. And Ray really brings that and brings that energy and he’s so much fun to write. He’s a joy to write. Brandon’s so terrific and embodies the role so well that when we talk about how to further expand things, he’s a natural person to talk about. It’s like Brandon said on the panel, originally when we met with him we just wanted to bring a great character onto the show and we wanted a great actor to play him. That’s really how it always starts. With the exception of Grant Gustin on Arrow last year, there’s never been a [decision] to bring in a character with the intention to spin them off. It’s always, “What services the show the best?”
MARC GUGGENHEIM: The thing that we’ve been talking about is just how do we further expand the universe; and we love Brandon and we love having him on Arrow.
N: He brings a new dynamic to the show in his scenes with Emily Bett Rickards’ Felcity, a kind of screwball comedy vibe.
MG: He does. When we met with Brandon, the whole point of Ray Palmer for us — not the whole point but a big piece of Ray Palmer — was… Felicity’s voice is of a different show and we always say that Emily’s playing tennis against herself. [Laughs.] So we wanted to create a character that could vibrate at her frequency. And Ray really brings that and brings that energy and he’s so much fun to write. He’s a joy to write. Brandon’s so terrific and embodies the role so well that when we talk about how to further expand things, he’s a natural person to talk about. It’s like Brandon said on the panel, originally when we met with him we just wanted to bring a great character onto the show and we wanted a great actor to play him. That’s really how it always starts. With the exception of Grant Gustin on Arrow last year, there’s never been a [decision] to bring in a character with the intention to spin them off. It’s always, “What services the show the best?”
Source:
Like I said before, don't get the appeal of Atom and don't think Brandon Routh can carry a show.
ReplyDeleteWell he did carry a whole movie, though some would say not a very good movie.
ReplyDeleteWell the big screen and small screen are very different.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many super heroes TV shows and movies that it's getting kind of boring. Let the guy on Arrow, give him a reurring role instead of it's own TV show.
ReplyDeleteor if they want a TV show so bad do it short season 12 episodes instead of 22. Taht will move things more quicly and less filler episodes.
He is loved by critics, so i guess there's the chance. I would watch the show. Having him free from the Arrow universe and toss into it's own with it's own characters would make wonders for him. I really like Routh and this Atom/Blue Beetle hybrid is cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying his character on Arrow, but I don't see him carrying a show, unless they find a spectacular supporting cast. Atom does little for me though on a comic fan scale.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand that character and I don't see him every week and when I do it's for 10 mins. Now we are supposed to watch a whole show dedicated to him? I'm not interested in the ATOM story AT ALL; and I don't think he gained enough fans to watch a show about him. In fact his character is highly unlikable imo. They are trying to show him as an adorable quirky nerd but it's not how it's coming across at all.
ReplyDeleteSide note: I have a question for comic books fans. How does shrinking your size help you fight criminals?
I don't mind him on Arrow. He is not my favorite. He is okay. Not sure if he is spin off worthy. The EPs of this show do love to hype every thing don't they. It's always best episode ever, best costume ever, emmy worthy performance, best performance of *insert actor name* till date. I will believe it when I see it.
ReplyDeletePeople said the same thing about an entire series focused on Green Arrow before Arrow aired its pilot episode.
ReplyDeleteyou are not supposed to watch anything if you dont want to. I dont watch the Flash and Im fine with it.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question: Lets wait for the ant movie to see how that goes xD
Sounds like all the budget went to making this suit, leaving Firestorm with a science sweatshirt.
ReplyDeleteHe still has the same strenght as if he was normal sized... I still don't think he will shrink. He is more Ted Kord/Blue Beetle than the actual Palmer. He will use an exosuit to give him more strenght and will carry miniature size weapons(mini missiles, mini everything... like Iron Man, so you can have a better picture).
ReplyDeleteI still think that if they took Palmer from Arrow and put him in his own universe with it's own characters it will make a great show. Routh on Chuck was great and he's Superman was more Supes-like than Nolan's Man of Steele.
I'm still not digging the actor or the role he's playing.I'm not sure if i'll be able to watch him as a central character in a seperate spin-off or not.I hope he does the role justice in future!
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna watch it that's for sure. I was explaining in my comment why this spin off is a bad idea imo; and I'm not the only one who is not interested in his story.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ant movie, that hero seems ridiculous to me. I haven't even seen the movie trailer. And I was serious about my question. I really want to know how does that help him fight crimes.
I know he won't shrink on arrow, if he did it would be on Flash. I know that he will use some advanced weapons when he suits up; I'm a DC fan but I have to admit he will NEVER be Iron Man. If he has his own show I'm sure he will shrink; that's why I was asking. Sooo he still has his strength and can defeat criminals but they can't see or hit him because he is so small? OK I get it now.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you on this one. I HATED him on Chuck, and I never saw his Superman movie but from what I hear it wasn't good (that's why I didn't see it) plus I'm not a fan of his acting, his face is too wooden and he gets this crazy and creepy look in his eyes.
Tbh, they didn't even show his story. Until 3x09 his story was about Felicity. We knew nothing about him, how he is that way, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that he is Malcolm's other side. While Malcolm took the wrong path, Ray took the right one. He's a good Malcolm Merlyn, or what Malcolm could have become.
Now that, according to Guggenheim, they're not doing any romantic thing with Ray and Felicity we can focus on him and his goals and his rise as a superheroe.
I would advice to wait before crossing the idea of an Atom Spin-Off.
You see, i don't think he will shrink even in his stand alone show. I think what he will do is to shrink weapons to fit in his suit. I'm not saying he will be Iron Man(I don't like Marvel, tbh... Just Spider-Man and Guardians and Deadpool), but he will be more Blue Beetle than The Atom.
ReplyDeleteI asked Marc G if they conceptualized his character as a Blue Beetle/Atom hybrid, but he didn't answear.
Why do people assume that I hate him because I ship Olicity? Seriously I don't see him as a threat at all BUT I find his actions towards Felicity stalkery, pushy, inappropriate, unprofessional and offensive to me as a woman and he has no boundaries and he is too cocky for my taste. Besides the fact that he took over Oliver's company and removed his family name is not earning him any points in my book. Do I need to say more? lol You brought this on yourself you know haha
ReplyDeleteI only like Iron man, Thor, the Avengers movies (just because they have a lot of heroes working together and I like that) and AoS. I'm not very familiar with blue Beetle I only know him from Smallville, I think you are right but if he had his own show I think he will shrink.
ReplyDeleteDid you ask him on Tumblr?
Yep! I asked him a lot of comicbook related questions but he didn't answear one... Also a lot of Laurel questions, especially why they choose to use screen time to drag the "don't tell daddy" storyline instead of actually showing her training...
ReplyDeleteMaybe he didn't get to them yet or he doesn't think that they will generate fandom wars enough lol
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who agrees with Laurel on not telling Lance?
I didn't want to imply that, you got it wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe character of Ray Palmer from 3x01 and 3x09 was a limb of Felicity. He existed to give Felicity her own story. We now know they won't pursue a romantic storyline so maybe they can shift the focus of their relationship less from Felicity and more into him.
THIS
ReplyDeletepeople were even more negative about it since they were so used to him being a sidekick on Smallville. And look how it turned out. 4 seasons, a spin-off and another possible one coming.
Now, Justin Hartley will always be GA to me BUT they sure proved the nay-sayers wrong.
So "The Atom" could easily work, and like I said so often: if the shrinking part is too ridiculous for TV just use him as a Iron Man knock-off, in the best sense of the word though.
It'd be the Iron Man show we never got and would probably even reel in some Marvel-only fanatics
I don't think he's interesting enough and would rather see a new character getting a spinoff than him.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd say that Routh is a capable enough actor to carry his own material. He was okay channelling Christopher Reeves in Superman: Returns. Of course the movie was a long and boring even that should have been cut down to 90 action fueled minutes instead of a 140 min long dramatic snoozefest. But Routh wasn't the reason it failed.
ReplyDeleteJust watch Dylan Dog, now THAT movie was totally down his alley.
Personally I could totally see an Atom spin-off work. Just mix Iron Man with the Arrow-verse and you got a solid set-up for a potential hit. And given that quirky characters like Felicity and Barry are SO popular these days Ray would probably make the best lead for that show.
However, I would always prefer to see a Merlyn spin-off using him as a hired gun with questionable morals taking out bad guys that are even worse than him and slowly beginning to question his past deeds. But I know that won't happen....so...Atom it is
My bad :D
ReplyDeleteDo you really think his story could be interesting? I hope so. I don't enjoy hating characters on my favourite show you know.
With Arrow it's always best not to take everything for full these days, I fail to do so...a lot.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it could be... Right now he is a "2 dimensional character", we only know what he told Felicity in that 2 minutes scene. How does he deal with the lose everyday? Is his "i'm always happy" self a facade? Did he seclude? There's soooooo much posibilities, yet we know nothing.
ReplyDeleteHe could be a character that tryes to be annoying on purpose just to deflect from the fact that everytime he gets to the couch at home he feels really miserable... One that tryes really hard to hide the fact that he isn't doing well... Wouldn't that make you change your mind a bit about him?
I think it's cheap storytelling. Doesn't matter when, he will find out. That story is pointless TO SHOW.
ReplyDeleteYou can have her not telling him, but you don't need to show that. It's pointless to show her not telling him. We know from episode 2 that she wasn't gonna tell him. Do it on the background(Laurel telling Nyssa he doesn't know). But don't waste 10 minutes showing her not telling his dad. Show her training that it's her main plot and the one people are skeptical.
Now I want to bake him a cake actually lol I guess I'll wait to see what they do with him but some of his actions are not a facade like showing up at her door in the morning unannounced and tracking her twice; these are character traits.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right. Dylan Dog was hilarious, in a good and bad way. An enjoyable ride for the most part.
ReplyDeleteHe was a pretty good Superman and I also enjoyed his arc as Daniel Shaw on Chuck, but other than that the only other real credit he has as a lead is the failed show Partners in 2012.
For me, I just think there are more interesting things they could do in the DC universe. Like you, I would love to see a Merlyn spin off, or a spin off of some other iconic villain. My favorite idea would be a Ra's spin off set back near the beginning of his life, showing his rise. They could use the 'Birth of the Demon' storyline. It would be perfect.
Or maybe he wants to be anywhere that isn't the bed in wich his fiancé used to sleep besides him. Maybe he sleeps 2 or 3 hours a day and needs to get out of there. Maybe he connected with Felicity(there're people you realize you'll get along after two words) and she is the only person he talks to that doesn't know his past.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's why he was at her house that morning... to get out of his and be with someone who doesn't know him.
Just food for tought.
He can go to the office if he wants to leave the house and wait for Felicity there to talk to her or talk to her on the phone and ask if it's ok to come to her house.
ReplyDeleteYeah wasting screen time on it is stupid I agree but as for the decision itself I agree with Laurel.
ReplyDeleteIt was truly cheesy at times, especially the monster makeup was just hilarious. Thankfully Routh and Huntington adapted so well to this obscure world acting-wise that it really fit.
ReplyDeleteHe has a better track record than some other CW leads though, Amell really had nothing but a 3 episode arc on TVD and being a regular on Hung for season 3. Gustin isn't really having a strong track record either. (Morgan, Somerhalder and Gillies of course have some high profile stuff on their resume but I would consider them "above" anyway).
I'd totally dig a Ra`s spin-off the only issue I'd have with it is that I'm not too hot on Matt Nable yet, don't get me wrong he's not bad at all but his performance as Ra`s needs build up. So far he's not strong enough to turn Ra`s into an "iconic" villain on his own. If he was just some random character not named Ra`s he would be pretty forgettable. This isn't supposed to be a jab at Nable all I'm saying is that so far the name is making the character more than the actor does
The decision, maybe... I don't quite understand the condition in wich Quentin is. They didn't care to explain it better.
ReplyDeleteBut wasting time on it? That's a horrible choice...
I agree
ReplyDeleteMaybe he got into the car without knowing where to go... I'm not trying to put a story for the guy myself, just saying that we could have a cool storyline and a great character there. But the show hasn't shown it... His character is a puzzle. They need to start putting the pieces together...
ReplyDeleteRouth can probably carry a show with the right character and the right material. This isn't it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that they have a lot of characters this season so every story seems rushed. They have the opportunity to explore those stories in Oliver's absence I hope they do it right.
ReplyDeleteI would've preferred if it was Vixen live action and not animated.
ReplyDeleteThey want to make a spinoff about him?
ReplyDeleteJust... no.
I think he could. But then again I like him in the role and Ray.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair he's got badass flames.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely digging the actor, either, but I think it has to do more with the writing at this point. I was also really skeptical about Grant Gustin being good as the Flash, and he ended up surprising me. However, if the writers do want to make a spin-off, I think (from a practical perspective) they have to make sure that the character ends on a more positive note with fans. I think that having him team up with Oliver in the future, would go a long way towards doing that, rather than setting them up as rivals.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.Let's see how he fares at the end of this season.Till then,i'll try to be as much accepting of the character as i can!
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything except Hartley being my preferred GA. Hartley had the charm of a more lightened Green Arrow, but Green Arrow is also a man of pure determination and Stephen Amell portrays that in spades. The only thing he's lacking is a broader sense of humor(but the story does call for the way Ollie is written right now, so I can let that pass if we see a more lightened GA by series end).
ReplyDeleteI do agree that this universe's Atom will be more technological savvy in the sense. I mean, we are talking about a character that was going to be Ted Kord/Blue Beetle and who was going to be end up being the techy genius on field along with guys like Arrow, Arsenal, Flash, etc. So making Atom being their own little version(and far more practical in sense of effects) of Iron Man, I'd be down with this. Atom can even deal with the more technological villains in this universe as Arrow deals with the more grounded villains and Flash deals with metahumans(and now Vixen will deal with the magic aspect).
I really think that she should have told Lance, but I'm more annoyed with the writers than the character, if that makes any sense, LOL. There seems to be this recurring theme in Arrow, where characters (especially Oliver) withhold vital information from loved ones, to "protect" them, when telling the truth would actually avoid so many problems, It's an overused plot device, and this is just one of many examples.
ReplyDeleteI think not telling him is merciful. The idea of telling him that he lost his baby again after he just got her back is too cruel imo. Plus he is sick; that's why I don't want him to know. I get that he deserves to know and that he'll be furious when he finds out but I just don't want him to suffer.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense lol and I agree with you they use the I have to lie to you to protect you plot a lot and sometimes it makes no sense and it puts the person they are trying to protect in more danger (i.e. Oliver and Thea).
For me and a lot of others it's not the hero that's the problem, it's the current portrayal of hero; I like Routh a lot, but he's not doing it for me too much in this role, and Ray himself needs to chill out on the cell phone pinging and develop actual personality traits other than being kinda manic. It was fun in the first episode, but now it's getting super one note, not to mention kinda weird, and a bit creepy. Seriously, dude, no more cell phone pinging.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I'd absolutely give the thing a shot if it ends up happening, because two successful series is reason enough to see what they bring to an Atom show. But what sold on the Flash wasn't that it was the Flash, it was that Gustin immediately sold me on the character. I just wanted to see more of his version of Barry Allen. I just don't feel that way about Routh's Ray Palmer at the moment. I could be wrong, and given some space away from Arrow and having to conform to all the roles that show needs him to perform - leader/stealer of QC/PI, Felicity's new love interest/banter buddy, and becoming a hero, all while only appearing on a recurring basis - this Ray Palmer might be something more compelling on his own show. But right now, I'm just not feeling it.
But as far as Atom goes, with the possible exception of Laurel's Black Canary (which we will find out the viability of in the next few weeks), there hasn't been a major superhero or super villain that this team has tackled that I haven't enjoyed. They made Green Arrow - aka, a guy with no powers who uses a bow and arrows against people with guns and bombs, which, if you think about, is really just about the worst idea ever - into one of the best live action comic book representations ever on television. I will give any superhero they want to try a shot.
I asked him about Andy Diggle and he gave me a coy grin Lol. I asked him about Arrow cave being a villains hangout place he did not reply.
ReplyDeleteNope. It is cruel to a parent to not get to say goodbye to their child how much ever hurtful it may be. Unless the said parent isvin deathbed and will pass away within days.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have read by shrinking into smaller size he can go through ducts and pipes and even phone lines to reach places others cannot. I am not sure if this is true but I read somewhere he can shrink to sub atomic size get into blood streams and cure tumor.
ReplyDeleteUnder normal circumstances I would absolutely agree with you; he has the right to say goodbye to her. But in this case it's different. He already lost her once and spent six years thinking she was dead. Then the miracle happened and he got her back. Can you imagine how it must've felt like? It is literally a dream come true; and now we have to tell him "Gotcha! Not so fast don't get too comfy she is dead again and this time she isn't coming back". It's a known fact that the worst kind of death is a parent losing their child so imagine losing the same child twice! That's what I meant by cruel.
ReplyDeleteTrue. And I would agree with you if Quentin is dying tomorrow or day after tomorrow. But he is not. He might have a heart problem but he is a working functioning adult. He is bound to know of Sara's fate some day. How long can Laurel keep it a secret. And when he comes to know that he will loose his baby girl once again, once again he is robbed of the opportunity to say good bye and on top of that the betrayal of his ex wife and only other daughter keeping this from him. How is he going to fare then. Grief and tragedy always has to be dealt with. You cannot sweep it under a rug an act like it never happened. It will hurt more later. As a parent I am annoyed by this arc. It was unnecessary and done only to put Quentin and Laurel at odds once this all blows over and to up Laurel's "hero angst" quotient.
ReplyDeleteThe logic of Laurel might loose Quentin once he knows the truth doesn't fly either. He is already doing a stressful job, Laurel is already going vigilante route thus stressing her father. He will be able to take this news too.