Clark Kent may be more powerful than a locomotive, but even a Supeman can’t handle every crisis by himself. Enter Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, the latest DC Comics character to visit Smallville.
Famous for his peerless skill with bow and arrow, Oliver will appear in at least seven episodes this season, which premieres September 28 on the new CW network. "He will start to form the nascent Justice League," says executive producer Al Gough. "He’s trying to find like-minded people with special powers and put a more formal structure in place."
As with previous superhero guest stars like the Flash, Clark (Tom Welling) will be initially wary of Green Arrow. "Ultimately Clark will see the value of what he is trying to do," Gough says. "But as he’s gotten older, Clark has become more caurious. He will always be there to help out, but he doesn’t want to be part of a fonnalized organization."
Justin Hartley, best known for playing hunky rich boy Fox Crane on NBC’s soap Passions, has been cast in the role. Hartley starred in the pilot for an Aquaman series that Gough and his producing partner, Miles Millar, had developed for CW; and when that show wasn’t picked up, they quickly offered Hartley the Smallville gig. What really appealed to us is that he has a great combination of sexiness and hunor," Gough says. That’ll also appeal to Lois Lane (Erica Durance), who Gough says will take a romantic interest in the emerald archer.
Cupid’s arrows will also hit Clark’s best friend, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack), and a young Daily Planet coworker by the name of Jimmy Olsen. That’s right, Superman’s future pal joins the Smallville universe as a recurring guest star. Chloe and Jimmy met off screen a few years ago when they were summer interns at the Planet. "In our first episode back, they reconnect," Gough says. "And so Chloe Sullivan finally gets a boyfriend."
That’s one team-up even Clark should approve of. [TV Guide]
(Aaron Ashmore — aka Veronica Mars‘ former beau, Troy Vandegraff — has since been cast as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville.)