Nellie Andreeva

The CW is finalizing a deal for a pilot order to Arrow, an hourlong superhero drama based on DC Comics’ Green Arrow. It is written and executive produced by The Green Lantern co-writers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim and Fringe and Vampire Diaries alum Andrew Kreisberg. I hear that David Nutter will likely direct the project, which takes the comic book character created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp and sets him in a new world with an original story that is not based on the comics, which are published by DC Entertainment. Arrow, produced by Warner Bros TV and Berlanti’s studio-based Berlanti Television, was developed by Berlanti and Guggenheim, who came up with the idea and wrote the storyline and then brought in Kreisberg to write the script. Kreisberg, who has comics experience having written DC Comics’ Green Arrow and Black Canary among other books, previously worked with Berlanti and Guggenheim on their ABC drama Eli Stone.

First introduced in an 1941 edition of More Fun Comics, Green Arrow is a superhero dressed like Robin Hood who is an archer using trick arrows including glue, net, tear gas and even kryptonite arrows. His secret identity is billionaire Oliver Queen. This marks the character’s return to the CW, where it was a fixture on the Superman-inspired Smallville for several years. Portrayed by Justin Hartley, who is not attached to Arrow, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow was introduced in a seven-episode arc on the show in 2006, with Hartley joining the series as a regular in 2008. Also serving as a bridge between the two shows would be Nutter, who directed the pilot for Smallville.

Developing a series based on a DC property to succeed the recently departed Smallville was a priority for the CW this development season. “We’re looking next year to do a superhero show if the right superhero comes to be,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said at the summer TCA. In addition to Arrow, the network has in contention an adaptation of Deadman penned by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. This is the CW’s second pilot order this season, following the pickup of mystery drama Cult last week. Arrow would mark the second pilot order for Berlanti and Guggenheim so far this season. Earlier this week, Fox greenlighted Guilty, a legal drama penned by Guggenheim and executive produced by him and Berlanti. Berlanti, Guggenheim, Nutter and Kreisberg, who serves as co-executive producer on Syfy’s Warehouse 13, are with WME.

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