Comic-Con 2012: 'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Says, 'If All Goes Well, We'll be Working for the Next Decade'

Warner Bros.

Arrow stars Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy, along with executive producers Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe) and David Nutter (Smallville), who directed the pilot, took the stage at Comic-Con to talk about the show, after a packed crowd viewed the pilot episode.

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The show, based on the classic DC Comics hero Green Arrow, tells the story of billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, who returns to his home in Starling City after being marooned on a deserted island for five years.

Queen comes back with a lethal new skills with a bow and arrow and a mysterious agenda.

The team has high hopes for the series with Amell declaring, "If all goes well, we'll be working for the next decade."

The audience responded warmly to the pilot, whooping the first time Amell introduced himself as Oliver Queen.

The pop culture jokes referencing Queen's five-year gap in knowledge got big laughs, especially wickedly good lines about Lost and Twilight;

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The producers emphasized that their Arrow would be a grittier and darker take on the character than what fans saw in Smallville.

Director Nutter added, "Oliver's not wearing a costume ... he's wearing an outfit that puts him back in the hunter's mindset" he had as a castway.

Kreisberg said, the aim was to produce a show that felt "grounded and real" with "everything functional" in Arrow's costume and with his bow.

Amell said the darker tone was needed for the vigilante-themed nature of Arrow. "He's trying to clean up a city ... there are necks snapped along the way."

The EPs revealed that Amell was the first person to audition for the part and they heaped praise on Cassidy, who they said was "so good she doesn't even know how good she is."

Anticipating fan questions, the producers promised that other DC characters would make appearance on the show and quickly made good on that statement by announcing that Kelly Hu (X2) had been cast to play villainess China White--news that was greeted with cheers from the audience.

Much discussion focused on a particularly ab-revealing workout scene with Amell about halfway through the pilot. The star seemed a bit embarressed to admit that those were his real abs.

Katie Cassidy got a big laugh when she jumped in to say, "it was actually me" in the scene.

The best line came from Nutter though: "Batman can't do that."

Arrow airs on the CW on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. The pilot debuts Oct. 1.