Long before ‘Arrow’ turned Oliver Queen into the face of an entire television universe, Justin Hartley’s Green Arrow was apparently being considered for a very different future.
The Green Arrow Spin-Off ‘Smallville’ Fans Never Got To See
On Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Hartley shared that some ideas were discussed as spin-offs while he was starting on ‘Smallville’. One of them was about Oliver Queen and Lois Lane residing in Metropolis.
“I heard whispers of that,” Hartley said, explaining that the proposed series may have been called Metropolis. The idea would’ve been to follow Lois and Oliver after ‘Smallville’, giving Hartley’s take on the Emerald Archer its own series.
It’s interesting to see what the DC television landscape would have been like if that project had actually been done. The viewers could have had a series with Green Arrow as the lead character much earlier in the Arrowverse. Hartley’s Oliver and Erica Durance’s Lois were romantically involved around the period when the idea was apparently being considered, although their relationship eventually ended.
‘Smallville’ Nearly Turned Green Arrow Into DC’s Answer To Professor X
Even more ambitious was another proposed ‘Smallville’ spin-off built around the show’s version of the Justice League. Steven S. DeKnight wrote and directed Season 6’s “Justice,” which was intended as a possible backdoor pilot.
In case you missed it: Top 5 Superman Love Interests Every DC Fan Should Know
The series planned would have gone a different way on the Justice League. Instead of portraying Oliver as the leader of the group, DeKnight envisioned him as more like Professor X from X-Men. He would be a mentor who would provide shelter for young people who had special powers and help them learn how to use them.
It might have been a very different superhero series for its era. The show could have gone beyond the crime-fighting aspect and delved into Oliver’s role as mentor and protector. There was even talk of bringing Brainiac back as the villain.
James Marsters, who played the character in ‘Smallville‘, was one possibility, while DeKnight also considered reinventing Brainiac and potentially casting a woman in the role. In retrospect, these ideas seem like interesting tidbits of DC television history. ‘Smallville’ never got to see either spin-off come to fruition. However, there was a lot of potential before the Arrowverse changed all of that.
You might also like to read: ‘Smallville’ Makes More Sense Once You Stop Watching It Like A Superhero Show
