BWW Exclusive: THE FLASH/SUPERGIRL Musical Crossover Scoop and More from Paleyfest

Saturday afternoon at the Dolby Theatre, the four CW Network Super Hero television programs were all celebrated at Paleyfest. On hand, were some executive producers and members of the casts of ARROW, THE FLASH, SUPER GIRL, and DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. Moderating the panel was comic book super fan, Kevin Smith.

Before the cast took the stage, Mr. Smith shared with the audience his story of how he eventually tuned in to these CW Super Hero Programs. He explained that he was initially skeptical when he heard that his favourite comics would be turned into TV shows, but that his buddy and frequent co-star, Jason Mewes kept telling him he needed to watch, and eventually he did. He is now a dedicated fan, and has even directed episodes of THE FLASH and SUPER GIRL.

Present at the panel, were Executive Producers: Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle, Andrew Kreisberg, Todd Helbing, Aaron Helbing, and Phil Klemmer. Present from the cast of ARROW were Stephen Amell and David Ramsey; from THE FLASH, Grant Gustin and Candice Patton; from SUPERGIRL, Melissa Benoist and David Harwood; and from DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, Brandon Routh and Caity Lotz.

During the panel, Mr. Smith took turns asking each producer and cast member questions, and as is customary with this sort of event, the floor was eventually opened to questions from the audience.

Given that four different shows were being covered and there were several panelists, there was not an opportunity to go into great detail about the upcoming musical crossover episode of THE FLASH and SUPER GIRL. That said, we did get a bit more information about what to expect when the episode airs this week. Specifically, Producer Andrew Kreisberg made the point to comment on how he knows that when a series attempts an episode like this, it is understood to be a bit of a 'gimmick' episode and that often means that it is a standalone bottle episode. Kreisberg pointed out that someone who does these event episodes best is Joss Whedon and that part of the reason he does it so well is because the episodes are not self contained, but instead address what the characters are currently going through, and continue to move the story forward. Kreisberg stated that the goal with this episode was to follow that model and that it is no coincidence that both shows' leads (Barry and Kara) are at a romantic crossroads at the time when this episode takes place. To find out exactly what that means, I suppose we will need to tune in to SUPERGIRL at 8pm on Monday and THE FLASH at 8pm on Tuesday.

Some other tidbits from the panel:

*ARROW star Stephen Amell shared that filming the 100th episode gave him a "much bigger sense of accomplishment" than he thought it would. He stated that he did a lot of reflecting on the early days and of the future successes of the cast and crew who he first met filming the pilot. He shared that while they were filming that episode, he would often think to himself "We actually did it". He finished by saying "I feel like the path to 200 will be easier" and the crowd loved it.

*THE FLASH Producer, Andrew Kreisberg shared that the villain of next season will "not be a speedster". Kevin Smith joked that slower moving super villains are much scarier.

*THE FLASH star, Grant Gustin commented on some of the decisions that his character has made this season and admitted that he tends to be on the same side as the fans when they are frustrated by Barry's actions. He elaborated that one of Barry's strengths has always been his optimism but that this season, we have really gotten to see how Barry's fear has dictated his decisions.

*Kevin Smith asked the SUPERGIRL Producers about how the show has made the point to take on some real world issues. The Producers commented that by the very nature of the show being about an alien female exploring what it is to be a woman in the world, they realized that this is really the best show to address things like immigration, journalism, LGBT rights, etc. They also stated that they have a talented cast that "can handle bringing real world stuff into a super hero world".

*When asked what it is like to not just have a role, but have a role (meaning, to have the opportunity to be a role model), SUPER GIRL's Melissa Benoist shared that she was initially overwhelmed by it but that she feels that what the show does and what it stands for, "is a really important message to send". She also shared that with Linda Carter being on the show, she has had the opportunity to gain insight from her about what it means to not just have a role but have a role.

*Fun tidbit: According to Kevin Smith, SUPER GIRL's David Harwood apparently does cartwheels between takes.

*After several comments were made about how "crazy" the plot lines in DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW are, Executive Producer, Phil Klemmer commented that he "never set out to try to blow everyone's minds". These were just the stories that appealed to the writers, and they ran with it.

*DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW's Brandon Routh does have a way to go to the bathroom while wearing his suit...but it is complicated and so he tries not to eat and drink too much. (Kevin Smith was very interested in this)

All in all, it was a very fun panel and the crowd was incredibly engaged. Despite cautions not to, the crowd rushed the stage with Barry Allen level speed in an attempt to get a photo or autograph from their favourite star. The cast also seemed to have a great time.

SUPER GIRL airs on the CW on Mondays at 8pm; THE FLASH airs on the CW on Tuesdays at 8pm; DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW airs on the CW on Tuesdays at 9pm; ARROW airs on the CW on Wednesdays at 8pm.

Photo Credit: Michael Bulbenko

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Be sure to check back Monday morning for some panel scoop and one on one interviews with the cast of GREY'S ANATOMY from the Paleyfest red carpet!

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