CW Looking to Add New Arrowverse Series in 2020

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Enterprise is Great, Aug 4, 2019.

  1. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    I was responding to this statement.
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^I know, but it was a rhetorical question. I wasn't asking for an explanation, I was saying it's an implausible idea compared to a spaceship.
     
  3. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    I think people will accept it with ease.
     
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  4. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    But it wouldn't happen because of all the other reasons why standing ship sets are better for a weekly live-action TV series.
     
  5. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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    While I would have no problem with using a star-faring vessel as a practical base for his supporting players, I think that removing GL's ability to fly through space entirely would be a step too far.
     
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  6. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    They don't have to -- again, see GL:TAS. We're talking about what would make a TV show practical to produce. From that standpoint, it doesn't matter whether you eliminate it or just use it infrequently. My preference would be to make it a short-range thing. A ring only has a finite charge at a time, after all, and warping space has got to be a hell of a power drain, on top of somehow creating an atmosphere, shielding against radiation, regulating body heat, providing food and water, etc. So it makes sense if it's used mainly for short-range hops and ships are used for longer trips. (Which also helps explain why Abin Sur was in a crashed ship, if you use Abin Sur.)
     
  7. Serveaux

    Serveaux Fleet Admiral Premium Member

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    At this point, people flying through space in energy bubbles and spaceships are about equally implausible ideas for TV.
     
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  8. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yes, the early issues were hardly "mostly earthbound," as that is not the purpose of the character. The typically Silver Age "home" sub-plots surrounding his relationship and job were there, but never to the degree of being an anchor that say, the Daily Planet (and its employees) were to the Superman comics of the same period. GL is not a Batman, a Green Arrow, or some guy who is just meant to run around earth--for no apparent reason.

    Some can perform wish fulfillment gymnastics all they want, but GL was and remains the leading sci-fi superhero of DC, and it would be to his detriment to water him down on a cheap-looking TV series (considering the FX on so many of Berlanti's shows) that robs him of the expectation / potential of his intensely sci-fi universe.
     
  9. DigificWriter

    DigificWriter Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^ No-one has said anything about a GL TV show having to be "watered down" other than you.
     
  10. Sketcher

    Sketcher Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    A lot of the Arrowverse shows, and even harkening back to Smallville, tend to show an evolution of their title character. They could start Green Lantern off completely Earth-bound. Maybe Hal or whichever GL isn't entirely clear on the nature of the power ring and its origins, and can, starting out, only project simple constructs (energy beams, force fields, flight). Then, as the series progresses, it takes on more of the space-based comic powers, settings, and characters.
     
  11. dahj

    dahj Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I don't see much practical difference between Earth-bound and Planet of the Week episodes.

    Same difference between Vancouver pretending to be another city on Earth, or another city on another planet... :p
     
  12. Kirk Prime

    Kirk Prime Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    This is an interesting point though I wonder how much of a drain space travel is. You would think that the Guardians, who are these superduper advanced beings, wouldn't leave GLs hanging. So either the drain on power can't be that bad, OR there is no place in the universe that you can't reach fast enough to get a new charge. I think the battery is just something that limits them, but something portable enough that it shouldn't be that hard to keep near you.

    Regarding Abin Sur and the ship:

    https://www.cbr.com/why-was-abin-sur-flying-a-spaceship-in-the-first-place/
     
  13. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Yeah, great idea! Set season 1 mostly on Earth, then start moving into space more in season 2, etc. Gradually build up production assets like spaceship sets, CG alien and landscape models, etc. as you can afford them, so that eventually you have enough to pull off a primarily space-based setting.


    As far as location work goes, sure, but that's just one element of production. If you were moving from planet to planet, you'd have to keep building new interior sets and digital matte paintings with new designs rather than reusing consistent ones. Plus you'd need to spend more on alien makeup.

    Of course, it could be done -- Star Trek and plenty of other shows have succeeded at it. But it does pose greater production challenges than a consistent Earthbound setting, which is why ST:TOS so often fell back on Earth-duplicate cultures of various sorts so that they could save money by raiding the studio vault for historical costumes, set pieces, etc. And it's why, as I've been saying, it's good to have standing spaceship sets so you can do shipboard bottle shows from time to time.
     
  14. valkyrie013

    valkyrie013 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well in Stargate Sg1 and Atlantis.. there were alot of planets that look like Britsh Colombia.. :)
    I second this notion ( as my vote counts.. .. sure..) You do a build up 1st season, have him in a "Police Procedural" like Arrow or Flash at first using constructs or flying, but then by end of season 1 another lantern comes by and says.. pack your crap, your coming to Oa to train.. etc. etc.
    Have him in the first season steadly gaining powers, like learning to do constructs, learning to fly etc. then have some earth type of Military or "Secret Spec op" or something going after John to get the ring .. Plenty of Ideas, and then by 2nd or 3rd season you get intergalactic :)
     
  15. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    They handwaved that once by having Teal'c explain that the Goa'uld had terraformed most of the worlds with Stargates on them to be suitable for human habitation, which was why they all had the same vegetation, atmosphere, etc. Although it later turned out that the Ancients built the Stargate network, so presumably the Goa'uld just stole the credit.


    I'm of two minds about doing Oa, from a production standpoint. On the one hand, it would make sense to use Oa as a standing "home base" set, sort of like the DEO in Supergirl, the command base from which the Lanterns are assigned missions. On the other hand, depicting Oa effectively would be really, really expensive, what with all the godlike Guardian tech and all the GLs from thousands of species wandering around -- it would probably be prohibitive on a TV budget.

    Maybe you could split the difference by establishing that the Corps uses some sort of local command-base space stations, like local police precincts-cum-Starbases, rather than doing everything out of Oa. Then you could do things on a smaller, more affordable scale. Maybe just visit Oa in the season premiere and do occasional scenes there as the series progresses.
     
  16. valkyrie013

    valkyrie013 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well, to me, Oa would just be a couple episode "Boot Camp" and wouldn't be the home base,
    I agree, you have Hal/John? after training be on earth, but have a "Sector Base" in either a station or planet with like 20 other lanterns.. So you can have a "Boxed In" show with a few sets showing the station or planet base.. and show other lanterns, and even.. Interns? I mean.. who runs the base? whos the janitor?? Hmm.. Maybe do a "Manhunter" droids run the place and have a 2nd season thing of them breaking free.. Hmm.. Ideas just roll! :)
     
  17. DigificWriter

    DigificWriter Vice Admiral Admiral

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    My blueprint for doing a GL series on television would be to go for a "Serialized Procedural" format (ala FRINGE) where your GL is tackling problems on a fairly episodic basis while simultaneously building to a larger serialized narrative, taking a page from the early GL comics by having both Earth-based and space-based adventures.

    To cover things like Oa, the Guardians, and other Lanterns without "breaking the bank", the blueprint would be to make Oa a "standard" locale for which you could build an 'enhanced' set, give your GL a "standard" set of constructs to use (allowing for the creation and build-up of stock VFX), and hint at the scope of the Corps while simultaneously focus on a smaller "core" group of Lanterns as recurring support characters.
     
  18. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    I'm trying to think of other, non-GL space heroes/characters who could be supporting players in a GL show, like how Arrow has brought in other vigilantes and The Flash other metahuman heroes. But it's hard to think of viable candidates. Krypton has already claimed Adam Strange and Lobo. The Arrowverse has already done Hawkman/Hawkgirl using the reincarnation origin rather than the Thanagarian origin. (Although I understand the recent comics version has merged them so that sometimes the Hawks get reincarnated on other worlds and not in linear chronological order, so maybe they could be used after all.) Maybe the Darkstars?
     
  19. valkyrie013

    valkyrie013 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Hmm..
    New Gods? Darksied?
    Orion?
    Space Cabbie?
    Captain Venture?
    Interplanetary Insurance Inc.?
    Rick Starr Space Ranger?
    Tanga?
    Captain Comet?
    Maxima?
     
  20. ToddKent

    ToddKent Captain Captain

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    [​IMG]

    If they really wanted to do an earthbound GL show they could set it on Supergirl's Earth (I can never remember if it's 38 or 39) and his main mission could involve investigating crimes committed by (or to) that world's alien population.