Comic Con: Arrow Panel, and Sneak Peek of Season 3

[Photo from Paul Blackthorne]

Fans are excited for Arrow season 3 (only 75 days to go!), and stars Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Colton Haynes, Willa Holland, Paul Blackthorne, and John Barrowman, along with Executive Producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg, were on hand at SDCC for a video presentation and Q&A Friday evening. Emily Bett Rickards, Katie Cassidy, and Caity Lotz were unable to be at the panel, but will be at SDCC on Saturday for a WB Television/DC Entertainment special event. Here are some highlights of the panel — and a sneak peek of season 3!

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

*  For the second season in a row, Arrow is the most-watched series on the CW  [X]

*  Andrew Kreisberg said they’re “terrified” and put a lot of pressure on themselves to keep ramping things up and keep up the quality.  [X]

*  The writers knew from the start of the series that Sara wasn’t dead and that season 2 would end with Ollie in Hong Kong.  [X]

*  After season 1’s grim ending, Kreisberg said they felt giving season 2 a happy ending would be shocking. Season 3 begins peacefully, but that doesn’t last long. “Season 3 is about the price of victory,” Kreisberg teased. [X] [X] [X]

*  Stephen Amell talked about his gratitude at how the show has been received. “I’ve waited my entire life for an opportunity like this and to see the way the fans have reacted.” He also discussed the importance of social media, and that they’re determined to live up to their promise to fans that the show “won’t suck.” [X] [X] [X]

* There are hints of a darker Thea. Willa Holland revealed she’s been going to the gym a lot and that Thea is going through “something crazy.”   “No more Vertigo, dancing-around-on-table-tops for Thea.” [X] [X]

* David Ramsey discussed some of the ramifications of John Diggle finding out he’ll be a dad. “A lot of dramatic tension. Does he stay with the team? Does he leave? “He definitely won’t be joining Suicide Squad — his heart is here,” with Team Arrow.  “There’s no chance of him *deliberately* leaving the team,” Ramsey added, possibly a hint at outside forces that might pull him away.  [X] [X] [X]

* Quentin Lance will be a police captain in season 3. Episode 8 will be a crossover with The Flash, and Quentin will be going to Central City. Paul Blackthorne joked regarding the Lance family, “Oh, they’re always doing fine…I’m kind of losing track of what my daughters are up to at night, I have to say. And by day!” The EP’s hinted at an exciting season 3 “journey” for Laurel.[X] [X] [X] [X]

* Originally their plan was to bring Ted Kord into season 3. When DC wouldn’t release the character, they went with Ray Palmer. Kreisberg stated that DC has been really good about releasing characters for them to use, and rarely says no. [X] [X]

* Season 3 will explore the nature of Ollie and Felicity’s feelings for each other. “We weren’t trying to fake anybody out with Oliver’s confession to her at the end of last year,” EP Greg Berlanti explained, and said their feelings are “genuine.”   “It’s not like there hasn’t been sexual tension between the characters,” Amell said. But the date between the two at the start of the season goes badly. [X] [X] [X] [X]

* Malcolm Merlyn will try to control Thea by playing into emotions. [X]

* The Hong Kong flashbacks are a chance to bring in new characters. The producers felt it would be too crowded to add another set of villains to the island. Tommy Merlyn, who died at the end of season 1, will make an appearance in the Hong Kong flashbacks. [X] [X]

* Thea and Roy will reunite, but it’s not clear how long that will take. We will find out what happened to Thea right after she got into Malcom’s limo.  [X] [X] [X]

* Kreisberg says the more people know Oliver’s secret, the easier it is to write the show. [X]

* The cast talked about missing Susanna Thompson, who played Moira Queen. [X]

* We’ll learn about Felicity’s backstory and time at MIT in an episode titled “Oracle” (a name DC fans will recognize). [X]

* “We never thought we would get to do all these things.” — Marc Guggenheim. “It’s really a fan-driven show, and we’re so appreciative.” — Greg Berlanti. [X] [X]

Below, check out the sizzle reel showing both footage of season 2 and new footage from season 3, including glimpses of Black Canary, Roy as Arsenal, Captain Lance, Ollie and Felicity’s date, Felicity in what looks like some very dire straights, and conflict between Diggle and Ollie. Season 3 of Arrow premieres on the CW Wednesday, October 8 at 8 pm. Season 2 will be out on Bluray/DVD on September 16.

Author: Dot R

Dot has been bouncing around various fandoms for many years now writing essays, episode reviews, commentary, and reporting news and conducting interviews, among other things. Along with being a Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and Supernatural fangirl, she’s also a fan of fantasy and science fiction television shows, everything from Farscape to Killjoys to 12 Monkeys to X-Files to Wynonna Earp. Currently Fangirl at Large covering numerous geek culture related topics, convention news, casting spoilers, show news, and interviews.

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