Earlier this week, The CW gave CBM the opportunity to speak with Arrow Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg ahead of tonight's Season Finale. For the most past, the conversation focused on what's to come in Season Two and on a few burning questions that have been asked around these parts and on Twitter. Read on to find out details about when filming on Season Two begins, whether Oliver will get a new costume, the possibility of a Ted Kord cameo and more.
Mark Julian: First off, congrats on all the success. Would you say the show has exceeded expectations or was it the goal from Day 1 to be The CW's most watched show?
Andrew Kreisbeg: I think the expectations for us were to just make the best show possible and we're really proud and the fact that the audience has embraced it is really the icing on the cake. But I don't think we set out to do anything other than create a show that people would enjoy and that we would be proud of.
Mark Julian: Looking ahead to Wednesday, how would you best describe the Season Finale?
Andrew Kreisbeg: I would describe it as an emotional roller coaster. It really is a culmination of the season, there are things in it that hark back to the pilot and episodes two and three. It really feels like the end of a comic book run, it's really the final chapter of series one. It answers all the questions that were asked in season one and asks a bunch on new ones that will take us into Season Two. We shot it for more days than the average episode and spent more money on it than the average episode. Episode 22 [could be] the season finale of any other show, Wednesday's episode really feels like a movie.
Mark Julian: Looking back over the first season, the show's strength really lies within the relationship between two individual characters, Oliver and Tommy, Tommy and Laurel, Roy and Thea, etc. etc. Which of those relationships do you find most interesting to write?
Andrew Kreisbeg: Probably the most fun to write is Oliver and Felicity just because she's hilarious. Sometimes when we write those scenes they end up being three or four pages long, I can do that all day. I really like writing Oliver and Dig. I think they're both veterans of wars who came through their dark experiences in very different places. One day Oliver is the teacher and Dig is the student and the next Dig is the teacher and Oliver is the student, they're brothers, they squabble like brothers and love each other like brothers. There's respect and anger and love- their relationship is just filled with everything so for me I think, those scenes were some of the most exciting to have written all season long.
Mark Julian: I recently read that the executive producer team gave the writers a summer reading assignment in the form of Batman: The Cult. Is that an inspiration for Season Two? Andrew says not necessarily.
Andrew Kreisbeg: We've encouraged everyone to read as much DC Comics stuff as they can. 'The Cult' is a personal favorite of mine and we're really excited to pull some bits of that for Season Two.
Mark Julian: When do you guys start filming on Season Two?
Andrew Kreisbeg: I think we start filming in July. I'm not sure when we'll premiere, that's obviously up to The CW but yeah, July pretty much the same time we started last year.
Mark Julian: Speaking of July, will you guys be at Comic Con?
Andrew Kreisbeg: Yes, we will. I think we're going to start filming before Comic Con so hopefully we'll be able to bring a little something to show the fans. That boost we got from Comic Con and the way people embraced us last year and embraced the pilot was a great jolt of energy for us and for the show. We want to reward the fans with something special again this year.
Mark Julian: Is it possible that we'll see Manu Bennet's Slade Wilson in present day Starling City in Season Two?
Andrew Kreisbeg: There's always a chance.
Mark Julian: Speaking of Season Two cameos, we had a Ted Kord Easter Egg recently on Arrow. Any chance we'll actually see Kord himself next season?
Andrew Kreisbeg: There's no definitive plans but DC has been really great about opening their roster to us. We never say never and obviously Ted Kord is a fan favorite. Kord Industries actually plays a role in my Booster Gold pilot over at SyFy so who knows, maybe he'll be on two shows.
Mark Julian: The next few questions come from Twitter and the fans on our site. Will Oliver ever go by his Green Arrow moniker?
Andrew Kreisbeg: Well actually Season Two finds Oliver not wanting to be called a vigilante anymore. He feels like it has a negative connotation. So the search for a new nickname will make up part of Season Two. I'm not sure we'll be calling him Green Arrow in Season Two but we'll definitely be leaning in that direction as the series moves forward.
Mark Julian: Are there going to be changes to the costume moving forward?
Andrew Kreisbeg: We're obviously heavily influenced by the Chris Nolan Batman films and we feel like in those films, as Bruce Wayne had more and more experiences, he wanted his Batsuit to reflect those experiences and we'll be doing the same thing with Oliver. You obviously saw his bow get smashed in episode 22 so he's going to have a new bow for Season Two which we're excited about.
Mark Julian: Last fan question, are you guys going to try and work in the Green Arrow trick boxing glove arrow?
Andrew Kreisbeg: I actually have a way to do that [laughs]. To me, it's the only way it could possibly work on the show. So you know, if we get to it. We'd love to because there's some of the iconic moments from the comic books that you want to do for the show but it's going to take the right set of circumstances to pull to off. But don't worry, it's definitely in my mind and if I can make it happen I will.
Mark Julian: Really quickly, on Booster Gold, should we expect any announcements at San Diego Comic Con this year?
Andrew Kreisbeg: I don't know about that. I'm finishing another draft of the script that Warner Horizon and I will be handing in to the Syfy channel and we'll have to see where it goes from there. I've been a fan of Booster since I was a kid so getting to write that character and create that world has just been a thrill. But all of us will just have to wait and see.
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Arrow (CW) Trailer by All Thats Bueno
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
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Characters: George Papp (character) and Mort Weisinger (character)
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.