If you enjoyed Arrow Season 2.5, this announcement is sure to make your day. John Barrowman, who plays Malcolm Merlyn on the TV show, is co-writing a new digital first series!
Here are the official details per TV Insider:
Written by Barrowman and his sister Carole, Arrow: The Dark Archer, is set between the third and fourth seasons of the TV series, but also reveals what Malcolm was up to before he became the Dark Archer, the nemesis to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) early in the series. Twelve chapters will be released bi-weekly starting Wednesday, Jan. 13 (available via the DC Comics App, readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comixology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, and iVerse ComicsPlus). The entire story will later be collected in single print edition.
Barrowman, who actually happens to be a massive fan of comic books, spoke of how the project got started:
“Arrow: The Dark Archer began with a pitch for an entirely different comic. My sister and I are both comic fans and a couple of years ago we came across a description of a team of DC superheroes from the 1950s that have been lost to history. We came up with a story to update them into a contemporary series. I went to Geoff Johns, chief creative officer at DC Comics, and pitched the idea to his team. While we were chatting, I mentioned Carole and I would love to write Malcolm’s backstory too. Geoff knew Carole and I had written a number of things together…
“Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow’s executive producers, got involved at that point to make sure our ideas would work within the series’ canon. We’ve kept it all in the family.”
Apparently, this is a bit of a passion project and the ideas have been simmering in his head for some time. He added:
“I’ve had a backstory in my head for Malcolm from the beginning and a lot of it has made its way into our comic and onto the screen. I think it’s always been my job to help the audience relate to Malcolm in some way despite his questionable morals and evil ways.”
While you wait for the series to launch, enjoy some images provided by DC Entertainment. Click for slideshow.
