Arrow Original Pitch Reveals Changes From Script To Screen

Arrow began the entire Arrowverse and after eight seasons and more than 160 episodes, the show finally wrapped. But series co-creator Marc Guggenheim has shared some interesting tidbit from the original pitch for Arrow. It goes without saying that some of the changes from the page to the screen has certainly shocked us.

Marc Guggenheim Shares Original Pitch For Arrow

During the last week of shoot we saw messages of nostalgia from Arrow’s cast and previous show runners pouring in. Now, everyone has bid farewell to Star City and the Arrow bunker. But in this wave of nostalgia, series co-creator, producer and writer Marc Guggenheim decided to share with fans his and Greg Berlanti’s original Arrow pitch. The original script has certainly shocked everyone because there’s plenty of differences between what we ultimately saw on screen in 2012 and what was pitched.

Here’s what Guggenheim tweeted:

“At 11:30 PST today, we begin the filming of #Arrow. It’s been quite the journey. This morning, I took a little stroll down memory lane and looked at @GBerlanti’s and my notes for our original pitch. So interesting to see what changed. And what didn’t.”

Some of the stark differences definitely include Starling ‘Star’ City being called Starkton City, Detective Lance being a corrupt police officer and the series being titled The Hunter instead of Arrow. But perhaps the biggest departure is what was envisioned for Felicity Smoak. Oliver’s tech savvy team member was a man named Stanley Dover.

Was Felicity Smoak Originally Going To Be A Man?

The character breakdown for Stanley Dover in the pitch describes him as:

“Brilliant but a bit eccentric. Our computer and technology savant. We’ll learn that Stanley has a history with Oliver’s father which explains why he’s the first person Oliver recruits for his crusade.”

Anyone who has even watched one single episode of Arrow knows that Felicity is the technological expert of Team Arrow. Emily Bett Rickards’ Felicity Smoak first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, “Lone Gunmen.” Although she began as a recurring guest star, it wasn’t long before the character became a full-fledged member of the cast and one of the founders of the original Team Arrow. She definitely qualifies as “brilliant but a bit eccentric.” But this is where the similarities end. The actual differences begin not only in the gender but also in the connection to Oliver’s father. The pitch says that Stanley worked closely with Robert Queen, but in the show Felicity was only an IT employee at Queen Consolidated. As for Oliver’s first recruit in his crusade, that honor would befall David Ramsey’s John Diggle, Oliver’s bodyguard and eventual sidekick (who might be a green lantern now). But speaking of Felicity Smoak we sure do wish Emily Better Rickards finds a way to come back for at least the final episode. 

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow‘s final season stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.

Before you witness Oliver Queen’s fate in Crisis of Infinite Earths, check out the journey he has been on till now:

(Source: cbr.com and hypable.com)