Green Arrow in Film and Television
The Emerald Archer Hits the Bullseye on the Small Screen
Dec 6, 2008
Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp in 1941, Green Arrow was a minor hero in the DC Comics universe for the first twenty years of his existence. The addition of a Robin-esque sidekick, Speedy, did little to improve his stature. It wasn't until DC paired the Emerald Archer with Green Lantern in the classic Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neil run of the Green Lantern title that Oliver Queen started to come into his own. Artist Adams was responsible for Ollie's trademark goatee and the stories that came from the 1969 to 1983 run of Adams and O'Neil are considered by fans to be some of the best ever put on the page.
Super Friends
In 1973, Green Arrow appeared in a single episode of Super Friends. Voiced by Norman Alden who also provided the voice of Aquaman, Green Arrow showed up to save the day in "Gulliver's Gigantic Goof" after all the other superheroes had been shrunk to doll size. Ollie would never appear as a Super Friend again.
Justice League Unlimited
Kin Shriner provides the voice of Green Arrow for all three seasons of Justice League Unlimited. Recruited to provide a bit of unpowered grounding for a group of ultra-powerful heroes, Oliver Queen's leftist leanings and down to earth philosophy run counter to much of the League's policy. In an homage to the Adams/O'Neil era, Green Lantern and Ollie strike up a friendship of sorts over the course of the show, mostly as mentors to Supergirl.
The Batman
Chris Hardwick provides the character's voice in a few season five episodes of The Batman. This time, the Emerald Archer is part of the Justice League before Batman is recruited and works with the Dark Knight on different occasions.
The Brave and the Bold
The 2008 series, the Brave and the Bold, pairs Batman with various heroes from the DC Universe. In the first episode, Batman works with Green Arrow to stop the Clock King before teaming up with the Blue Beetle to stop a meteor that's about to strike Earth. Batman comments that despite their differences, there is no one he would rather face danger with than Green Arrow. The trademark goatee that Green Arrow has sported since the 1970's is nowhere to be seen. James Arnold Taylor provides Ollie's voice.
The New Frontier
In Justice League - The New Frontier, Green Arrow shows up, pilots his own jet into battle but never says a word. Since the direct to DVD adventure takes place just after the Korean War, it's no surprise that Oliver Queen has yet to grow his goatee.
Live Action
Green Arrow has a lot of connections to Aquaman. He was co-created by Mort Weisinger who also co-created the Aquaman character. Aquaman and Green Arrow were both voiced by Norman Alden in the Super Friends and Justin Hartley, who portrays Oliver Queen on Smallville also played Aquaman in a pilot for a show that was never picked up by the networks.
Hartley plays a much younger Green Arrow than the way he's usually portrayed in the comic books and he doesn't sport the trademark goatee either. The costume is updated to reflect the changes made to the character in the late 1980's when he dropped the Robin Hood hat for a hood and a darker characterization. Green Arrow has been making appearances on Smallville since season six and Hartley is a cast regular in the current eighth season.
The Silver Screen
David Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and Justin Marks have written a script for Green Arrow: Escape from Supermax, which involves a wrongly convicted Green Arrow being forced to escape from a high securtiy prison for supervillains. No production date has been set.
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