When people look at the many live-action DC superhero shows on the CW today, they cannot help but marvel (no pun intended) at the world that the creators of the Arrowverse have built and wonder whether this was all something they had been planning to do from the beginning. The short answer, at least according to original ‘Arrow’ creators Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim who spoke on the topic during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, is a definite “no.”
When asked about how much was planned out and thought ahead for, Berlanti is quick to tell them the opposite was true:
“A lot of people like to think we did. Each step was a surprise.”
When asked a similar question about the expansion of the universe after ‘Arrow,’ Guggenheim replied with the following:
“If I had to pick one word, I’d say ‘unbelievable. The truth is [the unexpected expansion] really speaks to my whole philosophy about building a universe. The best way to do that is to do one good show. That one is really hard. Then if you succeed, do a second really good show.”
Which is, of course, more than slightly “unbelievable,” but still pretty amazing. The fact this entire world, which at this point includes ‘Arrow,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Supergirl,’ ‘Legends of Tomorrow,’ ‘Black Lightning,’ and ‘Batwoman,’ not to mention the CW Seed series available online, just kind of “happened” due to the success of each series and the audience demand for more content. This really does say a lot about the quality of the content Berlanti, Guggenheim and company are producing.
RELATED: Not So Smallville: The Season 11 Comics Of ‘Smallville’ Will Be Considered Canon For Arrowverse ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ Crossover
One cannot help but admire the philosophy that Guggenheim presents which is to “do one good show” first, which a lot of studio execs should take heed. It seems nowadays too many in Hollywood are so desperate for franchises, sequels, and spin-offs that they forget that none of it works if the first product, be it a movie or a television show, is not good.
Now, with the flagship and original series ‘Arrow’ is coming to a close, one cannot help but wonder how long this golden era for the ‘Arrowverse’ will continue. But even if it goes away in the next few years, fans should be grateful for the world that Berlanti and Guggenheim and their collaborators have built, and continue to expand and play with. Only in the Arrowverse could something like ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ occur, and for that I know I am both excited and grateful.
Looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us in the future!
Lastly, here’s the synopsis for the final regular episode of ‘Arrow’ before ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ begins!
Oliver’s mission takes him to Lian Yu, where he tries to ignore the repercussions of the looming crisis until he receives help from an old friend; a united Team Arrow faces a recognizable villain.
