Stephen Amell might be The CW's definitive Oliver Queen, but Smallville fans know he wasn't the only. Before he was Kevin Pearson on This Is Us, Justin Hartley was the Green Arrow, and apparently the network liked him so much they wanted to give him his own spinoff. Hartley shared what could've been in an interview with his former co-star Michael Rosenbaum:
While I was on the show, while I was on Smallville, there were several different spinoff ideas that they had. They wanted to do a spinoff called Metropolis or something like that, I heard whispers of that. It was Lois and Oliver in Metropolis and whatever that was. They were trying to extend the life of the show.
Justin Hartley's revelation has to come as a shock to Smallville fans, as talks of this spinoff must've begun very early on into his appearance on the series. After all, Lois ended up with Clark in the end (as is the case with most Superman stories), and Queen ended up marrying Chloe Sullivan. Had the show been able to successfully pitch this Metropolis show, it would've changed the outcome of the series, and maybe even change the amount of fandom and acclaim the show still receives to this day.
Of course, the Oliver and Lois spinoff never happened, and years later Arrow would bring Oliver Queen back onto the network with a new actor. Justin Hartley told Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum it never bugged him that he wasn't contacted or asked to be the new Green Arrow and that he was thankful for the time he had on Smallville. Specifically, Hartley mentioned that he was grateful everyone in the cast was as nice as they were when he entered the series, as both men agreed it's always awkward to enter a series a few seasons in as a guest star as opposed to being a regular cast member.
Justin Hartley's potential Smallville spinoff isn't just odd due to its concept, however, it's also strange given it shares a name with the latest Superman series being developed for DC's upcoming streaming service. That Metropolis will team up another odd duo, as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor investigate the city's seedy underbelly. Perhaps whoever came up with that pitch for Justin Hartley's Smallville spinoff back in the day recycled the concept and just mixed things up a bit? The world may never know for sure.
Smallville may not have any spinoffs, but Hulu does have the entire series currently available to stream. For a list of new shows coming to streaming in the near future, head on over to our Netflix and Amazon premiere guides. Those just interested in great television in general regardless of the platform can find just what they need by visiting our summer premiere guide.
