Liam Neeson Would Play Ra’s Al Ghul on Arrow “In a Heartbeat,” But should he?
Over the past several years the CW has proven that they know what theyre doing with Green Arrow. Initially fans feared the idea of another CW comic book adaptation due to the lackluster Birds of Prey and the long run of Smallville. But immediately after Arrow debuted, fans were pleasantly surprised.
Throughout the first two seasons, fans saw Oliver Queen evolve from being “The Vigilante” to “The Hood” and now his current title is “The Arrow,” and while actor Stephen Amell says that he will eventually make it to “Green Arrow,” he does admit the character has some way to go. And what is left on that path for growth for young Ollie Queen? Apparently a showdown with legendary Batman villain Ra’s Al Ghul.
While the character was first teased in Season 1, his name played a big part in Season 2 with the inclusion of his daughter Nyssa and her small army comprised of members of the “League of Assassins.” However, during this past summers San Diego Comic Con, the Season 3 preview trailer raveled the following images:
Immediately fans knew who this was, and with that sudden realization came the speculation on who would be playing the legendary role.
But one name that nobody saw coming was Liam Neeson.
With Liam Neeson already playing the role twice in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, fans seemed to just assume that he was either too “high budget” or just “didnt care” about it anymore. But in a recent video interview with MTV, said he’d be willing to reprise the role.
“No, I haven’t [been asked], I haven’t at all. I would [do it], in a heartbeat, if it came my way, yeah. Very much so.”
Since the moment that the news hit the Internet, fans have been in an uproar. From rabid posts exclaiming excitement to obvious comments of disapproval (mainly due to the actor not fitting the ethnic history of the comic character), it seems everyone is talking about it right now.
But the biggest question right now isnt “will he” but should really be should he?
There are definite pro’s and con’s to the prospect of adding Liam Neeson to the cast of Arrow Season 3, the most obvious would be Star Power. Neeson would definitely get people to notice the show that hadn’t previously, but at the same time, it may confuse people by his inclusion.
Dont get me wrong, Liam Neeson is a fantastic actor and he owned the role in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. But fans need to remember the reason that was given for WHY Arrow wont be a part of the current DC Cinematic Universe, that being simple, connecting the mediums would limit what could be done in the future of that show/movies storytelling ability.
People would begin to then wonder if we will ever see Christian Bale’s Batman appear, or if they want to reference Bane, Catwoman, or any other Batman rogues (like they have been) they would then be limited.
Obviously we are just entertaining the idea of the potential “what if,” seeing that its highly unlikely that The CW would go for the idea, especially after their sweeping declaration that this show wouldn’t connect to the films. Connecting Arrow to the Nolan trilogy would be viewed as a backpedal from their previous statements.
