|
|
Post by Jack Malone on May 26, 2018 3:48:42 GMT -6
Exclusive: Jay Hernandez Joins Watchtower's
Final Season as SCPD's Star Police Officer!  There's a new favourite in town Star City! Jay Hernandez has booked a reoccurring role as DC Comics' Thomas Bolt who has built a favourable reputation in Star City being an honourable police officer at the SCPD. In the comics, Thomas Bolt is the Mayor of Star City who suits up as a vigilante known as 'Steelclaw' in an attempt to do more for his city. However, 'Watchtower' will be taking the character in a different direction — changing his occupation, and twisting his mythology a little for the show. Instead, audiences will meet the still-noble-public-servant in the Season 5 premiere when Mayor Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), embarking on his re-election campaign, seeks the highly popular officer out for a public endorsement that should secure him another term in office.
"Thomas Bolt is introduced in [episode one] as this political goldmine for Oliver to obtain after he suffers a slight misstep in his reelection campaign," series creator Jack Malone revealed to VSGuide, "He's very much a source of light and strength in the city and so his endorsement would pretty much secure Oliver another win." But what keeps the character around? "Nothing ever comes easy for our characters, and something happens in the [season premiere] that really calls for Thomas to stick around beyond the political puppetry of his existence."
With this comes the news that Oliver Queen not only became Mayor of Star City during the massive time-jump, but that he's running for his second term when the final season picks back up.
"Last season, it was really interesting to bring politics into the world and explore that through Gordon and his Mayoral run," Malone said of the Season 4 storyline, "But with the time-jump, Gordon wouldn't be Mayor anymore, and so I wanted [Season 5] to still have that role and that position but obviously it had to be with someone else. With Oliver, he did become Mayor in the comics, and with the time-jump reintroducing all the characters, I thought seeing him in this position would be really surprising and rewarding — especially because it brings up questions like: 'Is he still Green Arrow' and if so, 'How is he operating as a vigilante and as the Mayor,' and if not, 'How is he operating as a man without the mask?' There's a lot to explore for him as a father, a husband, as a Mayor, and as a hero, and this new character [Thomas Bolt] plays a big role in the exploration of that and his story overall."
Hernandez is expected to appear in multiple episodes throughout the entire fifth and final season of 'Watchtower.' |
|
|
|
Post by Alex Matthews on May 26, 2018 17:48:13 GMT -6
Exclusive: Jay Hernandez Joins Watchtower's
Final Season as SCPD's Star Police Officer! There's a new favourite in town Star City! Jay Hernandez has booked a reoccurring role as DC Comics' Thomas Bolt who has built a favourable reputation in Star City being an honourable police officer at the SCPD. In the comics, Thomas Bolt is the Mayor of Star City who suits up as a vigilante known as 'Steelclaw' in an attempt to do more for his city. However, 'Watchtower' will be taking the character in a different direction — changing his occupation, and twisting his mythology a little for the show. Instead, audiences will meet the still-noble-public-servant in the Season 5 premiere when Mayor Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), embarking on his re-election campaign, seeks the highly popular officer out for a public endorsement that should secure him another term in office.
"Thomas Bolt is introduced in [episode one] as this political goldmine for Oliver to obtain after he suffers a slight misstep in his reelection campaign," series creator Jack Malone revealed to VSGuide, "He's very much a source of light and strength in the city and so his endorsement would pretty much secure Oliver another win." But what keeps the character around? "Nothing ever comes easy for our characters, and something happens in the [season premiere] that really calls for Thomas to stick around beyond the political puppetry of his existence."
With this comes the news that Oliver Queen not only became Mayor of Star City during the massive time-jump, but that he's running for his second term when the final season picks back up.
"Last season, it was really interesting to bring politics into the world and explore that through Gordon and his Mayoral run," Malone said of the Season 4 storyline, "But with the time-jump, Gordon wouldn't be Mayor anymore, and so I wanted [Season 5] to still have that role and that position but obviously it had to be with someone else. With Oliver, he did become Mayor in the comics, and with the time-jump reintroducing all the characters, I thought seeing him in this position would be really surprising and rewarding — especially because it brings up questions like: 'Is he still Green Arrow' and if so, 'How is he operating as a vigilante and as the Mayor,' and if not, 'How is he operating as a man without the mask?' There's a lot to explore for him as a father, a husband, as a Mayor, and as a hero, and this new character [Thomas Bolt] plays a big role in the exploration of that and his story overall."
Hernandez is expected to appear in multiple episodes throughout the entire fifth and final season of 'Watchtower.' Oooh!! I like Mr. Hernandez. He was awesome in "Suicide Squad", and I didn't click for a long while it was the same guy sans make-up as Miller's partner in S1 of "The Expanse". Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table.  It will be interesting to see how you tackle a similar storyline that "Arrow" has been attempting the last few seasons. I barely watch that show anymore, I'm more invested in the other shows, but I 'follow' more than 'watch' them. What I do wonder is how Oliver's coming-out as Green Arrow back in Season 10 "Smallville" will play into it..? Also, if we're following Oliver's mayoral campaign, does that mean we'll be hopping over that way often? Out of curiosity, where do you picture Gotham, and Star City geographically? Historically, Gotham's always been around the New Jersey area, and Star City is California way, but "Smallville" relocated Metropolis from Delaware to Kansas, so you've got precedent to move them! |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on May 27, 2018 3:40:07 GMT -6
Oooh!! I like Mr. Hernandez. He was awesome in "Suicide Squad", and I didn't click for a long while it was the same guy sans make-up as Miller's partner in S1 of "The Expanse". Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table. I saw him in a few episodes of Scandal's final season and I was like -- if this were real life, he'd be perfect for this character I'm writing in S5. The whole "Oliver announces he's Green Arrow" thing was such a pain. I started writing 'Watchtower' during Season 9 of Smallville (because there was talk of it being Allison's last season), and so that was obviously not something that happened yet. I tried to incorporate it in Season 2 and reference it — I think somewhere in episode 4 but I'm not sure on the specifics — but it's little things like that where continuity is a bit messed up. The consensus was that Gotham was basically disconnected from everything and you didn't have to erase your identity, change your name, and do all of that in order to move there and be safe from your past (this is touched on in the S5 premiere a bit too). With Oliver, he talked about what he did to escape from his "announcement" in relation to Helena who was trying to disassociate from Huntress and said to make it look like it was someone else. So, with that, he most likely came up with some story that he had to pretend he was Green Arrow, and revealed someone else as being the man under the mask. I feel like it's obviously a stain on his past and something that isn't forgotten — although it was probably dug up as opposition during his initial run for Mayor, which he ended up winning. But, right now, it'd just be conspiracy theorists on the internet (of Star City) that peg him as Green Arrow and are like "what if the announcement was real and the cover up is what's fake," you know? So it's not completely ignored. I have to take it as canon, obviously, haha. As for how it impacts things looking forward -- I think a big question right now is definitely whether or not Oliver is still Green Arrow? Is he pulling double duty or did he give it up? That's yet to be answered. In regards to Arrow, do you mean Oliver being Mayor as the storyline? For Watchtower, I definitely started the plans for the season with this idea that Gordon was Mayor, but then realised his terms would be up. Luckily, I found a really cool place for him post-Mayor, and still have a lot of great things planned for Gordon. But it was weird to have that political stuff injected into the show with no follow through, so I ended up making Oliver the Mayor of Star City, much like he is in the 'One Year Later' comics. So I kind of fell into that. I don't really see it as an Arrow storyline so much as something from the comics, but if that's what you're referring to then I think there will be differences, absolutely. And I think, after episode three introduces some other interesting things for certain characters, you'll see how beneficial it is that Oliver is in this position ten-twelve years down the line. I feel like Oliver has a really great storyline for this season — outside of being Archer's father or being Chloe's husband — and it definitely revolves around the political hellmouth that is being Mayor of Star City, haha. You'll have to check out the premiere for that answer. I totally just want to post the premiere separate (like I did with Season 3) and then air subsequent episodes after because it's so hard talking about Season 5 without that first episode out there, haha. I might look into that. What do you guys reckon? I'm honestly the worst with geography so I don't even like to think about it, haha. But I've been writing this season with people in Star City calling the people in Gotham their "neighbours." But I think that can also translate to having a lot of deals together, and being associated with things that benefit them both. It doesn't necessarily mean the cities are right next to each other. However, Chloe does manage to get to Gotham from Star City in the span of a night turning into day, so they aren't super far away. Ya boi is a wee bit intoxicated so I hope that made sense. |
|
|
|
Post by Alex Matthews on May 27, 2018 12:16:21 GMT -6
The whole "Oliver announces he's Green Arrow" thing was such a pain. I started writing 'Watchtower' during Season 9 of Smallville (because there was talk of it being Allison's last season), and so that was obviously not something that happened yet. I tried to incorporate it in Season 2 and reference it — I think somewhere in episode 4 but I'm not sure on the specifics — but it's little things like that where continuity is a bit messed up. The consensus was that Gotham was basically disconnected from everything and you didn't have to erase your identity, change your name, and do all of that in order to move there and be safe from your past (this is touched on in the S5 premiere a bit too). With Oliver, he talked about what he did to escape from his "announcement" in relation to Helena who was trying to disassociate from Huntress and said to make it look like it was someone else. So, with that, he most likely came up with some story that he had to pretend he was Green Arrow, and revealed someone else as being the man under the mask. I feel like it's obviously a stain on his past and something that isn't forgotten — although it was probably dug up as opposition during his initial run for Mayor, which he ended up winning. But, right now, it'd just be conspiracy theorists on the internet (of Star City) that peg him as Green Arrow and are like "what if the announcement was real and the cover up is what's fake," you know? So it's not completely ignored. I have to take it as canon, obviously, haha. As for how it impacts things looking forward -- I think a big question right now is definitely whether or not Oliver is still Green Arrow? Is he pulling double duty or did he give it up? That's yet to be answered. See, that answers a lot of questions I had about how Chloe faked her death in Metropolis, came to Gotham, yet still used her name as a reporter at Gotham Daily and the Gotham Gazette. I can believe, given how riddled with corruption it was, and what Emil had planned, that if that is the case, it was the perfect place for it all. Kind of like a figurative 'No Man's Land' already, I guess...  As for the "If/Is Question" of Ollie still being GA, I have faith you'll handle whatever path you take with him better then 'that other show' is. It's funny that we both kind of went down that rabbit hole together - the Mayoral Race of "M:SCU" S2 was planned from the beginning, about 2/3 years ago when I started outlining the general idea, but because of RL, it's coming out well after both "Arrow" and "Watchtower" have also dealt with it, so I've kinda pushed it into the background more of the season. I'm aware that is was a comic-book story, and I was excited that "Arrow" would be dealing with it, but not a fan of it's overall execution, but I'm happy you're using it as well. Speaking of the jump, are there plans for Dinah (and Mia) to appear this season? I really hope we get to see her side of the story, of how she and Ollie parted, and how she is with him and Chloe reuniting, and making it work? I would totally love that, as I suspect would Karl, but in the same breath, I'd hate for that tease, then have to wait forever and a day to read the rest of the season Good things, as they say... Just did a little bit of looking, and it's doable, especially if Mrs. Sullivan-Queen still has access to the Queen Industries private jet - it's about 4 and a half hours, apparently. I can imagine QI and WI having a business relationship, and that tying the cities together. Ha! Drunk!Jack coming to an Instagram feed very soon, maybe?! |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jun 1, 2018 5:22:54 GMT -6
See, that answers a lot of questions I had about how Chloe faked her death in Metropolis, came to Gotham, yet still used her name as a reporter at Gotham Daily and the Gotham Gazette. I can believe, given how riddled with corruption it was, and what Emil had planned, that if that is the case, it was the perfect place for it all. Kind of like a figurative 'No Man's Land' already, I guess... I think you'll appreciate the flashback story in the S5 premiere  I really do hope the showrunner shake-up on "that other show" turns things around but I seriously doubt it, haha. Aw, you didn't have to push it back. For me, I started watching shows that had political storylines in them (like 'The Good Wife,' and 'Scandal') and just felt like it blended really well with Watchtower. With Season 4, it was fun to see Gordon take a step outside of his role of Commissioner and actually progress, and with that Mayoral race, there was an added element of danger placed on him that elevated the whole "someone is totally dying this season." To date, I think "Ceremony" (418) is one of my favourite episodes of the show. But as I said, because of the time jump, he wouldn't be Mayor anymore. We still get to see him in that role (thanks to flashbacks), and he actually has a much better, more compatible role this season, but I wanted to continue that particular thread and with Oliver being the Mayor in the comics, it made sense to do something with that now in a season that is so comic-influenced. There are plans to see all the series regular characters come back for Season 5 in some capacity so that includes Dinah and Mia Even though the fourth season ended with Dinah and Oliver riding off towards their future in Star City (with that flashforward of Chloe/Oliver being the antithesis to that ending), there's already quite a few seeds planted in Season 4 that suggested there would be problems for Oliver and Dinah down the road. With it being the final season, I didn't want to introduce some crazy new, last-minute reasoning to explain how their relationship dissolved. So there's some clues as to what may have tore them apart already there that will be expanded on. But I do plan on showing what happened, of course. I feel like this season is going to air like Season 3 and take it's damn time, haha. I'm studying and working every day I'm not at Uni, so it's been rough. Been sitting on episode three for months. If I aired the premiere, there'd at least be something to talk about it - but yeah, if it's going to take a long time to drop episodes out then it might be a pain. Decisions, decisions. She totally drives there, but again, I haven't stuck to any geographical map or preconceived/established canon of where the cities are - it's such a nothing-burger to me. Oh god no, hahahaha. |
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jun 1, 2018 13:11:38 GMT -6
Im just going to add my two cents....DROP THE PREMIERE The same goes with you Alex Matthews. Hurry up and get S2 underway.haha Also Mia coming back, can you spill any tea on her? Is she leading the Titans? Having a friendship with Jason Todd? Poor Pretty Bird....Im sad that her and Ollie arent together, but I get it. I really hope the explanation is great!!! |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jun 2, 2018 6:58:34 GMT -6
Im just going to add my two cents....DROP THE PREMIERE The same goes with you Alex Matthews . Hurry up and get S2 underway.haha Damn, we are being called out, haha! I'm considering it, though  The only thing I can say is that she's more involved with Oliver and Archer's story this season. I loved writing their relationship in Season 4. It's crazy to me how when the series started, I was so sure that it'd never explore Oliver/Dinah, and now look - they got married. That whole season was full of stuff I didn't think I'd ever get to do. But yeah, there will be an explanation in S5 |
|
|
|
Post by Alex Matthews on Jun 2, 2018 17:14:58 GMT -6
The same goes with you Alex Matthews . Hurry up and get S2 underway.haha Damn, we are being called out, haha! Working on it, The Doctor I've hit a snag in the execution of my current episode, and I need to have a major rethink and possible restructuring of the details while keeping the core idea the same. You gotta admit, Jack Malone, it's nice to have someone cheering us on |
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jun 2, 2018 23:05:55 GMT -6
Alex Matthews, you,Jack,Brady, and Brian are giving me stuff to look forward to and be inspired behind So yeah, I'm calling you out. Gimme that premiere sp I can start speculating, throwing some shade, and finally getting Archer Sullivan-Queen. I call for a spinoff.haha
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jul 1, 2018 11:50:04 GMT -6
Jack....
|
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jul 1, 2018 23:40:41 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jul 2, 2018 15:57:32 GMT -6
Still waiting on that premiere homie..... |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jul 2, 2018 21:55:38 GMT -6
Still waiting on that premiere homie..... *fakes death, goes into hiding* |
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jul 4, 2018 19:18:32 GMT -6
Still waiting on that premiere homie..... *fakes death, goes into hiding* You wont get away that easily. I want answers young man |
|
|
|
Post by Alex Matthews on Jul 7, 2018 5:40:29 GMT -6
I need some more spoilers... - Will Perry be making an appearance? - Will Renee and Katherine be sharing any scenes? - Will Helena ever embrace her mafia roots in any way? - Will Archer interact at all with Aunty Lois and Uncle Clark? (okay, I know they're not technically that, but still!) - How are Karl and Lucius doing? - Will Ollie have his classic goatee?! Feel free to answer any of the above, or offer whatever hints you feel like... |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jul 8, 2018 3:28:41 GMT -6
I need some more spoilers... I never know what to post so I'm glad you sent some questions, haha He will be back for at least one episode this season. His story in the present is very much finished — I like to think he's living the dream as Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet with his partner Pauline Kahn — but there might be something left to tell in the past One thousand percent yes. The premiere will definitely set up what their dynamic is and how they'll be sharing scenes in Season 5. That's not really in the cards for Helena in this final season. She does, however, have an interesting new job in the premiere I'm pretty sure we'll get to see them interact at some point in the season. Clark Superman plays a huge role in Archer's story/journey. It's a bit of a mystery, much like it is with all the characters. I'm definitely leaning into the big question mark hanging over all the characters and their relationships ten years later and a lot of the fun, especially in these first few episodes, is to slowly figure out what's been going on, where these characters are at now, and how that informs where they're headed. For Lucius and Karl, things will be peeled back a little slower but there is a story there and it ties into a bigger picture down the line. Obviously with Lucius being a regular this season, his love/family life is an important aspect of exploring the character in a larger capacity so you can expect Karl to be involved in S5, too. But there is a bit of a mystery as to something going down during that time-jump that's affected them. It's gone in the present, but it was there in the past and maybe it'll come back before the end. |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jul 29, 2018 22:43:11 GMT -6
Exclusive: Charisma Carpenter Books Multi-Episode Arc as Anti-Oliver Queen Reporter!
Following the news that Watchtower Season 5 picks up with Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) in office, VSGuide has learned exclusively that Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter is set to play one of the Mayor's biggest detractors! The actress is set to portray DC Comics' Victoria Much, a reporter from the Green Arrow: Rebirth comics, who will be adapted for the show as a reporter carrying right-wing conservative views that don't align with Queen's "social justice" ideology and freely offers her political commentary where necessary to resist a possible second term of the current Mayor. "Victoria is introduced in [episode one] and she's seen on television as part of a segment discussing the re-election campaign of Mayor Oliver Queen, dissecting the words in his announcement and perceiving them - and him - as being dangerous for the city," series creator Jack Malone told VSGuide, "She's a very powerful voice in Star City and despite making her political alignment known to the public - which I feel is something bound to happen in the year 2028 - she's a very acclaimed journalist and career woman who gets her message across on multiple platforms."
However, Victoria won't just exist as a public threat to Oliver's chances of re-election. "She's going to play a larger role in the story in ways that will become clear in the first few episodes of [Season 5]." Along with this exciting news, the Watchtower creator also confirmed the return of Holland Roden as news anchorwoman Summer Gleeson, a character known from Batman: The Animated Series, and who recurred throughout the fourth season. "One of the things we wanted to do at the end of [Season 4] was to flash-forward and show all the characters having embraced their destiny but we just ran out of time and already had so much in that finale that had to be juggled," Malone revealed, before confirming what that meant for Summer, "There was going to be a scene with Summer as a news anchorwoman as she had always wanted to be... but now we get to show that in [the season premiere]." Carpenter, who is featured on the official Watchtower Season 5 poster, is set to appear in a handful of episodes throughout the season as part of a multi-episode arc, and will make her first appearance in the season premiere. |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Malone on Jul 29, 2018 23:23:01 GMT -6
Exclusive: Meet Archer's Best Friends! VSGuide has learned exclusively that Griffin Gluck ('Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life') and Kiernan Shipka ('Mad Men') have been cast as Archer Sullivan-Queen's (Jace Norman) best friends. Gluck is set to portray Brady Chambers - an original character made for the show - who is described as a "self-proclaimed geek" equipped with with wit as his weapon and a fierce loyalty to his childhood best friend, Archer. Shipka, on the other hand, is set to play DC Comics' Suzanne "Cissie" King-Jones, a "bright and athletic" student who transferred to Star City High School a year ago but has quickly found her home in this trio of friends. Together, they are jokingly referred to by Chloe (Allison Mack) as the "Alphabe-st Friends" due to the A-B-C chronology of their names. "In figuring out what Archer's world would be and how his life would mirror the legacy of his parents, it felt right to surround him with a similar unit of friends that Chloe had in high school with Pete and Clark and that's what Archer has with Brady and Cissie," series creator Jack Malone explained on the decision to bring these characters into the story. When we meet them, Brady has been the gatekeeper of one of Archer's big secrets and urges him to finally let Cissie in on it when a situation truly forces them to seek help. "There's a big catalyst in the [season premiere] and it doesn't just affect Chloe, it affects all the characters, and so we meet Archer's friends - his support system - through his response to this colossal event." One thing that should be noted is that in the comics, Cissie is a superhero and a Young Justice member known as Arrowette — an identity that might be the character's destination on Watchtower, perhaps? "The significance of Cissie being on the show and being alongside Archer is that they're both characters that were raised with superhero parents — Archer's father is Green Arrow, and Cissie's mother was Miss Arrowette — and therefore they both have these potential paths laid out for them to embark on that, as we know, can be incredibly rough and dangerous and scary," Malone told VSGuide, "And that's where Brady comes in as this glue that keeps them together and offers this levity and this warmth and humour to the craziness that is their lives."
Gluck and Shipka are expected to make numerous appearances throughout the season, with their debut appearance expected to take place in the third episode of Watchtower Season 5, titled "Martyr." |
|
