Moviefone Editorial

Tag: stephen-amell

  • ‘Arrow’ Showrunners Reveal How Oliver Queen Suddenly Became Hilarious

    When “Arrow” kicks off its new season Wednesday, fans will undoubtedly notice that Star City’s crime-fighting archer has turned over a brand new leaf — an emerald one, to be precise.

    Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) spent the first three seasons of his successful CW series battling his inner demons by shooting holes in them with arrows, but after screening the superb Season 4 premiere, Moviefone is happy to report our hero has finally learned healthier ways to cope.

    Last season ended with Ollie jumping into a convertible with his ladylove Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) as the two of them quite literally took the long and windy road toward happily ever after. A few months have passed by the time Season 4 picks up, but Oliver’s shiny new disposition still holds strong. He eventually winds his way back to Star City, of course, but not before rebranding himself as the Green Arrow, complete with his greenest suit yet.

    Oliver is “trying to be more of an inspiration and less of the judge, jury, and executioner we’ve seen in the past,” Wendy Mericle, “Arrow’s” newly anointed co-showrunner, explained after a screening of the premiere episode.

    But Oliver’s sunny new disposition isn’t the only big change in store. From a fantastically funny new villain to a drastic increase in metahuman and mystical occurrences, here are a few more things to expect from Wednesday’s game-changing “Arrow” opener and the season ahead:

    Oliver Is Funny Ha Ha, and the Tone Is Light
    The “Arrow” return is filled with twists and turns aplenty, but for our money the biggest shocker is the drastic shift in tone. Whereas last season was dark and gritty (think “The Wire,” Nirvana, or Picasso’s Blue Period), this one seems light and playful (think “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Weezer, or Bob Ross).

    Specifically, the show is hilariously funny at times. Perhaps funnier than it has ever been. Sure, Felicity has always been good at cracking wise, but for the first time Speedy, Diggle, and Oliver — yes, that Oliver -– are also joining in on the fun.

    “It’s coming from where Oliver is as a character,” explained Mericle. “He’s happier now. He’s in love with Felicity. He’s no longer the post-traumatic stress disorder suffering soldier he was in the first three seasons.”

    Did we mention the new villain is hilarious, too? Speaking of which…

    New Blood, Bad Blood, Nerd Blood
    Two new recurring characters will cross paths with Team Arrow this season: Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), Season 4’s unapologetically evil “Big Bad,” and Mr. Terrific (Echo Kellum), a brand new good guy who eventually befriends Felicity. Of the two, only Damien appears on Wednesday’s episode. Revealing the “Big Bad” in the season premiere is actually a new approach for showrunners. “One of the things we really wanted to explore this year was seeing a Big Bad from the get go and giving him a lot of room to play,” Mericle said.

    The approach paid off, with McDonough absolutely stealing every scene in which he appears. “There’s a real glimmer in his eye whenever he’s putting the screws to somebody,” co-showrunner Marc Guggenheim explained. “It is something we haven’t seen on the show before.”

    Mr. Terrific, meanwhile, will eventually fill a Ray Palmer-shaped hole in the hearts of the Scooby Gang. From the sound of it, he won’t be cracking skulls in the street with Oliver, John Diggle (David Ramsey), Black Canary (Katie Cassidy), and Speedy (Willa Holland), but will instead stay glued to the computers in Team Arrow’s lair, which means he and Felicity will have a lot of opportunity to interact.

    Kellum’s character “has a strong tech background and is somebody for Felicity to talk to, to have scenes with,” Mericle revealed. “It’s very magical. They are great together.” But their new relationship isn’t the only magic in store this season…

    Magical Mystical Tour
    “Arrow” dabbled in the unexplained last season with the growing inclusion of super-powered metahumans and the reanimating waters of the Lazarus Pit, but that wasn’t always the case. There was a time when The CW series featured the most realistic superheroes around. But that was before Barry Allen came a-knocking.

    “We started out with the clear intention of doing a grounded show: no superheroes, no metahumans, no powers, no magic,” Guggenheim said. “But then Warner Bros. and The CW said they really wanted us to spinoff Flash — so we said, ‘Okay, I guess we’re doing superpowers now!’”

    This season, the showrunners have doubled down on the mysticism with Damien Darhk, who promises to be “Arrow’s” most magically delicious character yet. The show’s previous villains, like Slade Wilson, Malcolm Merlyn, and Ra’s al Ghul, were mostly super-charged fighters, but Darhk is different species of evil. He isn’t physically imposing and he doesn’t need to be, as he can wave away arrows with his hand and drain the life out of a man with one touch.

    Relying heavily upon sorcery and superpowers is, of course, a gamble, but Guggenheim believes his show can stay grounded “as long as the characters’ reactions are realistic.” “If they react how we would react, it makes the fantastical less fantastic,” he added.

    “Arrow” returns to The CW for Season 4 on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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  • 6 Things You Need to Know About ‘Arrow’ Season 4

    The fourth season of “Arrow” (which premieres October 7 on The CW) is all about resurrection as Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) reinvents his superhero persona, Thea (Willa Holland) deals with the after-effects of The Lazarus Pit, and a character from a canceled TV show is back to help in resurrecting someone else.

    Here are six things you need to know about the new season of “Arrow.”

    1. Arrow Is Dead! Long Live the New Arrow!
    Everyone thinks Arrow was Roy (Colton Haynes) and Oliver Queen is not about to resurrect his alter ego. As Amell told TV Line. “Roy outed himself as the Arrow, so if I were to recreate the suit and go out, it would undo all of the sacrifice that he made. So the Arrow persona, for better or for worse, it can’t exist anymore.” However, Queen (as Green Arrow?) is back with a bitchin’ new outfit because he’s still got a city to save. He also has a spiffy new lair to accommodate the growing Team Arrow, per EW.

    2. There’s a New Bad Guy in Town
    Neal McDonough (“Public Morals,” “Justified”) is playing Damien Darhk, who producers tell TV Line, is “a mysterious and sophisticated villain, and an adversary of the late Ra’s Al Ghul. Now the leader of his own clandestine group, this cunning foe will prove to be one of the Arrow’s greatest challenges.” As executive producer Marc Guggenheim told EW, “He’s really pure evil, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his ends.” What are his powers? Guggenheim, won’t say exactly, telling TVLine, “He can definitely kick your ass, but he can do it in a different way than Arrow’s other foes.

    3. Constantine, Back From the Dead!
    Matt Ryan will reprise his role as the trench-coated, chain-smoking exorcist from NBC’s short-lived “Constantine” for one episode, CW announced at the Television Critics Association in August. He’ll appear in the fifth episode of the show’s fourth season, titled “Haunted,” in which he provides critical “critical support to Oliver when arrows aren’t enough,” EW reports.

    4. Olicity 4Eva!
    Now that Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver have finally gotten together, you’ll be seeing a lot happier, relaxed Oliver. Says Guggenheim to EW, “Oliver’s got a new outlook on life…We played him as a guy who was returning home from war with PTSD for the first three years. Now he’s put those demons to rest, or so he thinks, and there’s a lightness to him as a result of all the things he learned last year.”

    5. Diggle and Arrow Make Up
    “Their reconciliation, how they get there, is going to be a bumpy ride. It’s not going to be fully resolved,” executive producer Wendy Mericle tells TVLine. Diggle (David Ramsay) also gets a new crime-fighting look. Not everyone was digging Digs’ new helmet though, with fans thinking it looked too much like Magneto. “I know there’s a lot of criticism that it looks like the Magneto helmet. But by the time you see Diggle in action –- we also get into what the helmet can do -– you won’t be thinking of the X-Men at all,” he told TV Guide.

    6. Thea Is Now the Troubled Superhero
    With Oliver temporarily out of the picture, his little sister has donned a hood and mask of her own as arrow-slinging avenger Speedy. Amell tweeted that the reaction to the premiere will be “What’s wrong Speedy?” since Thea’s not the same person after dying and being brought back to life.

    What’s wrong Speedy? https://t.co/vsxmZLRRMG

    — Stephen Amell (@amellywood) June 18, 2015
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  • The 15 Best ‘Arrow’ Memes on the Internet Right Now

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    Arrow on the hit CW show of the same name. He’s also known for almost always having his shirt off.

    In celebration of the “Arrow” star’s birthday, here are the greatest “Arrow” memes on the internet.
    arrow memes

  • Here’s a First Look at Stephen Amell as Casey Jones in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2’

    Stephen Amell, Casey Jones, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

    With just a little over a year until the movie is released, producer Michael Bay has revealed our first look at Stephen Amell as Casey Jones in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.”

    Bay shared the image on his flickr page this week, giving fans a sneak peek at the vigilante who teams with the turtles to fight Shredder and his goons. Based on Amell’s appearance, filmmakers aren’t changing much about Jones — the iconic hockey mask and stick are still there — except for his haircut.


    Amell is just one of several new additions to the rebooted “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise. Tyler Perry, Laura Linney, and Brian Tee have all joined the cast in recent weeks.

    Megan Fox and Will Arnett are reprising their roles from the original, though it’s unclear if the rest of the cast — including Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shaloub — will follow suit. Director David Green (“Earth to Echo”) is helming the sequel.

    “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2” is slated to hit theaters on June 3, 2016.

    [via: Michael Bay]

    Photo credit: Michael Bay

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  • Best of Late Night TV: Christina Aguilera’s Amazing Britney Spears Impression, Kobe Bryant’s Lakers Disapproval (VIDEO)

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Monday night, and Jimmy had “The Voice” coach play “Wheel of Musical Impressions.” Xtina had to mix artists like Cher (with whom she worked in “Burlesque”) with songs like the Folgers Coffee jingle. She was good! Christina really went for it when she got Britney Spears (her fellow Mouseketeer then pop star rival) paired with “This Little Piggy.” Pretty obvious that was not just a random selection, but dagnabbit – Christina nailed it. For once, Jimmy was completely outshined at one of his own games. He gave her a standing ovation! Christina also sang Shakira well. The woman can sing. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst was on “The Tonight Show” and explained why he stopped doing pranks. He pranked Dave Grohl with a fake Adam Levine Gmail account – and it backfired. Genuinely great story. Basically, Jeff insulted some nice person’s mother. Hilarious. Kobe Bryant was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday night to talk about his rumored retirement, his documentary, his injury, the Lakers losing streak, his disappointment with his teammates reactions (you have to see his face in that clip), Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson. He also answered some viewer questions. Chrissy Teigen was also on JKL, talking about Oscar night. Her husband John Legend just won an Oscar, and John was there backstage, so she wasn’t sure why she was the one on JKL. She also did a (sad) magic trick since she just joined a special magic group. Stephen Amell of “Arrow” was on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and the ladies in the audience just loved him. Seth’s show is hitting its one-year anniversary, and Stephen had tweeted that one of his goals for 2015 was to be on this show. Stephen shared a story about being at the Golden Globes in 2013. He sat by himself at the “Big Bang” table and it was awkward. Good interview, though. Interesting guy. The great Mary J. Blige was on “Late Night,” talking about guest starring on “Empire” and how her friend Taraji P. Henson might be a little too much fun. Dame Helen Mirren (BOW TO HER) was on “Late Show with David Letterman,” discussing the Oscars, “Selma” and equal pay for women. Dave also had Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano, 24, on his show. “Conan” featured the cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – you can see a bunch of videos on the TeamCoco site, but here’s the story behind the “Lethal Weapon” episode. Charlie Day argues that it wasn’t blackface, it was “Danny Glover face.” Plus, they insulted North Korea years before “The Interview” and no one cared.

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  • Best of Late Night TV: Eric Stonestreet, Stephen Amell Play ‘Name That Thing’; Keri Russell’s ‘Inflatable Flip Cup’ (VIDEO)

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.

    “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet and “Arrow” star Stephen Amell were on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday night, and they competed in a fun game called “Name That Thing.” Spoiler alert! Eric won, but he admitted in one of his individual videos that Stephen probably should’ve won because the final round was to name a bunch of U.S. Presidents and Stephen is Canadian. Eric said Stephen knows more about the U.S. than Eric does about Canada, so it wasn’t quite fair. Eric also talked about pranking his “Modern Family” co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and shared his latest torture, sending him a sex toy in the mail. He’s a big football fan, too, and he and Jimmy discussed the Super Bowl. He won’t go to a Super Bowl unless the Kansas City Chiefs are competing. Stephen told Jimmy Kimmel he walked to the studio since he lives closeby. He walked over with a friend, which was a plan he made a long time ago in case he ever got to “do Kimmel.” “The Americans” star Keri Russell had to disguise her beauty in a giant inflatable fat suit to play “Inflatable Flip Cup” with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.” Before playing the game they did an awesome little dance. Love her little “Mother!” shout during the game — and when she thew her empty cup at Jimmy. Jude Law – dressed interestingly, but always cool – was on “The Tonight Show” talking about his submarine movie “Black Sea.” He talked about jumping onto a speeding submarine in real life. Not a good conversation for anyone with claustrophobia. And apparently it smells “unique” on submarines; when you come out, you stink like a badger! Rainn Wilson was on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and he’s a major “Star Wars” fan. He turned into a 12-year-old girl when he met Mark Hamill. He also shared his unique Chewbacca impression. Lauren Graham – love her – was also on “Late Night” and she discussed the final season of “Parenthood” and how she found out that “Gilmore Girls” was canceled. At least this time she knew that the show was ending. Brian Michael Bendis was also on “Late Night” and talked about “Marvel’s Secret Wars.” The whole Marvel universe is going to become different. Dean Norris was on “Conan” and talked about having a dance-off with “Dancing With the Stars” pro Derek Hough. Dean said he held his own, even if he couldn’t walk for a week afterward. Dean has a black belt from martial arts training, and he still does his own fight stunts. Olivia Munn was also on “Conan” and she talked about her racy dance scene with Johnny Depp in “Mortdecai.” He kept grabbing her boob for the scene – it was scripted, although Conan questioned who put that in the script.

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