The CW Lets Fly the First Image of ‘Green Arrow’

Sometimes the first production images from a hotly-anticipated new property can tell you everything you'll need to know, be they the look of the main character or the the tone they'll strike when they grace our screens.  So what have we learned about the new Green Arrow from the first official still of 'Arrow' released by The CW?

Well, he's green.  And he has arrows.  And I guess he hangs out in darkness.  He could probably use a few more arrows...

Indeed, the first photo of Stephen Arnell ('Hung') in the title role doesn't offer much in the way of story, but it certainly strikes a markedly different tone than DC Comics character Green Arrow did in his previous incarnation on The CW, that of Justin Hartley's 'Smallville' character.  Arnell's Oliver Queen utilizes a much more practical, less flashy costume that doesn't rely on any high-tech weaponry, but rather a much more traditional set of bows and arrows.

The costume features design work from three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood ('Chicago,' Memoirs of a Geisha,' 'Alice in Wonderland').  Says 'Arrow' executive producer and pilot director David Nutter, 'When I directed the pilot for 'Smallville,' I knew that making Clark Kent relatable would be the key to audiences believing in him as a hero. 'Arrow' is a different show — darker and harder-edged, but it’s the same core idea. We’re creating a real, believable world in which Oliver Queen can do incredible things. Colleen Atwood’s great work on the Arrow costume reflects that effort.”

The CW also released the first official synopsis of the forthcoming series, which reads, "After being marooned for five years on a remote island, former billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returns with a mysterious agenda and a lethal set of new skills that he uses in a war on crime."

Seen as something of a "Jason Bourne-esque" interpretation of the famous comic book archer, the show's cast features the aforementioned Stephen Arnell as Oliver Queen along with Katie Cassidy (‘Melrose Place’) and Paul Blackthorne (‘The Dresden Files’) as Dinah "Laurel" Lance and her detective father Quentin, Susanna Thompson (‘Once & Again’) and Jamey Sheridan (‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent') as Oliver’s mother Moira and father Robert, Willa Holland as Oliver's sister Thea, plus Colin Donnell ('Pan Am') as Oliver’s friend Tommy Merlyn.

Check out the first hi-def look at Stephen Arnell as Green Arrow below, and then tell us what you think of the design in the comments!