Geoff Johns doesn't just write
Justice League and
Aquaman comic books for
DC Comics. As the companies Chief Creative Officer, he's worked on a number of animated shows,
Smallville and
Green Lantern as well. Tonight,
Arrow's sixteenth episode,
'Dead To Rights' airs on
The CW, an episode that's been highly touted by the cast and crew and features a script penned by Johns. Below, you can read some of Johns thoughts about the episode and the success of the show.
On the surprise of Deadshot's return. Geoff Johns: "Having Deadshot return from day one was the plan. When that script came in, the thought was that Deadshot can be injured, he can be hurt, but he's still alive. He's too important a character. Then when the final cut came in, he looked very dead. [Laughs] But we said, "We'll figure out a way to make this work, because he is coming back." So you will see a little bit more of Deadshot here, and China White is still a bit more in the background, though she does have a bigger role.
But this episode if it's about anybody, it's about Oliver and Tommy. And it's about Tommy's relationship with his father Malcolm. It's a focus on those two characters and getting deeper into those characters' history and their future. For me, that's the best part of the episode. It's super fun to write Deadshot and China White, but it's really all about Oliver and Tommy." On the shows embrace of the Christopher Nolan superhero ethos of realism. Johns: "Clearly, what Andrew, Greg and Marc are going for is a much more grounded take on "Arrow." It's a different universe. It's a deadly universe. It's dramatic, but there's still a lot of fun in there. I think Felicity Smoak is a lot of fun. But those influences from the Nolan-verse are obviously there, and with this Green Arrow, the reason I really respond to him as a character is because he's different than he is in the comic books. He starts in a much darker place. I think his mission is a very selfish one right now. I think with Oliver, he sees himself has having gone from the self-involved, rich, silver spoon brat into this vigilante. But I think he's still very much self-involved. As you see him break out of that, we'll find him growing into the Green Arrow we know and love." On the growth that Oliver (Stephen Amell) must go through before he becomes the comic book version of the character that readers are familiar with. Johns:"...He needs some place to grow. Oliver Queen just can't come back and be the perfect Green Arrow. That's part of the reason why the show is called "Arrow." He still has to earn that title much like Clark did in "Smallville." There's more at CBR including a bit of exposition from Johns about his role as CCO and his work on Young Justice. Click the source link below to read the full transcript. Arrow, 'Dead to Rights' will air this Wednesday on The CW at 8pm PST/EST.
DEADSHOT RETURNS — Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Diggle (David Ramsey) learn that Deadshot (guest star Michael Rowe) is still alive and his next target is Malcom (John Barrowman). Malcom invites Tommy (Colin Donnell) to attend a benefit honoring Malcom for his work with Starling City but Tommy refuses to attend. Oliver encourages his friend to mend his relationship with his father while he can. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles to balance his new relationship with McKenna [Janina Gavankar] and his duties as Arrow. Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne and Susanna Thompson also star. Glen Winter directed the episode written by Geoff Johns (##116).
RELATED CONTENT: ARROW Episode 15 'Dodger' Poll & Discussion ARROW Episode 1x13 'Betrayal' Poll & Discussion, Promo For Episode 1x14 'The Odyssey' ARROW Episode 1x11 "Trust But Verify" Poll & Discussion, Promo For 1x12 '"Vertigo" Running Time: 60 min
Release Date: October 10, 2012
MPAA Rating: Tv-14
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Byron Mann, Colin Donnell, Colin Salmon, Paul Blackthorne, Emily Bett Rickards, John Barrowman, Roger R. Cross and Willa Holland
Directed by: David Nutter (pilot)
Written by: Greg Berlanti (story/writer), Marc Guggenheim (story/writer), Andrew Kreisberg (writer), George Papp (character) and Mort Weisinger (character)
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