UPDATED: Stephen Amell took to Facebook to debunk the below information, giving a lengthy explanation. He makes some good and valid points, for sure, but ultimately most of us approach this kind of chatter as speculation until it's officially announced anyway.
Here's Stephen:
When I do press, I try and be open, honest and thoughtful. That being said… I find it incredibly discouraging to see a headline like the ones I've been seeing this morning. Headlines that aren't just a stretch, they're totally fabricated. At no point, have I had 'studio level' discussions about any feature films at Warner Bros.
In this particular instance, when I read articles that take a pretty straightforward answer and slap a title on it that has little to no correlation to what I've actually said, it makes it seem as though I'm disrespecting my current position. Which is bullshit. And why would I do that? I mean… I'm not the smartest dude in the world. (After all… I picked a career in acting.) But would I really just casually subvert a process cloaked in secrecy? A process – by the way – being run by the company who currently employs me. C'MON!
We're making a kick ass show. We will continue to make a kick ass show. And I will continue to interact and provide interesting content for our fans. Because I love our fans. If every once and a while, some dickweed wants to pull a headline out of thin air to generate page views, then that's the price we pay.
The hunger for information on DC's plans in creating their own cinematic universe have gone ravenous of late, which seems to be working in the company's favor in terms of building hype. There's new speculation, rumors, tidbits, etc. hitting the web daily and while some folks have grown weary of it, others simply can't get enough. With that said, we've got some new information from Arrow star Stephen Amell, who says that there have been "discussions" about his incarnation of Arrow crossover with the big-screen JUSTICE LEAGUE film, but is both cautious and revealing in his response.
“All we have to do for something like that to happen, or even be a possibility, is continue to take care of business with our show and then we put ourselves in a position – but the important thing is our show,” he says, revealing that there definitely have been talks at a studio level. “I have had discussions, but I think the gestation process for this project is a lot slower than most people think. I mean, they haven't even shot the next one. They haven't even shot a frame of the movie before the movie everyone thinks is the Justice League movie!”
Amell's explanation reveals some interesting bits, namely the last sentence where he discusses "the movie before the movie" which could indicate that the rumored plans of BATMAN VS SUPERMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE being the next two entries in the DC cinematic universe. With the release date being pushed back a year, that gives Amell plenty of time to stay focused on Arrow (and keeping ratings up), while contemplating a crossover into the film world. Could DC be planning to link their TV shows with their films as Marvel has? I can't see scenario where they wouldn't consider the possibility, especially when you're talking about merging an already successful and established brand. More food for thought, which is all this fan speculation is. If we can't talk about the possibilities then what the hell are we doing here, eh?
BATMAN VS SUPERMAN is now slated for May 6, 2016. You can catch Amell on CW's Arrow on Wednesdays 8/7c.