New CW president wanting more DC characters on the small screen!

Just saw this article over at IGN, will be nice if they do decide to bring in more dc characters for tv shows. Since its probably going to be less likely we get any in big screen for the time being here is the article:
http://ie.tv.ign.com/articles/118/1186134p1.html

Post-Smallville, Will The CW Adapt More DC Characters?
CW president comments on potential superhero projects.
August 4, 2011 August 5, 2011 August 4, 2011

When Smallville was coming to an end last year, The CW's former president Dawn Ostroff said they were looking at other potential DC Comics characters to adapt to TV – and word leaked about one character specifically they were working on, The Teen Titans' Raven.

We hadn't heard anything about Raven since though, and so I asked the CW's new president, Mark Pedowitz, about the potential for DC characters on the network when he spoke at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today. When I brought up the Raven project, Pedowitz laughed that I knew more than him, as he was so new to the job.

However, he then went on to say, "We are looking next year to do superheroes if the right superhero comes to be. Having Warner Bros. as one of our partner companies and them having DC Comics makes it very intriguing to find the right superhero to go there."

All of which implies that there's potential for a DC character on The CW in the not too distant future. If that were to come to pass, who would you like to see them tackle? Let us know in the comments!

I don't think they'll ever completely shake off the "teen drama" branding. It's just too embedded in their corporate identity, at least for right now.

So who best would fit into the new regime with that kind of branding? Well, the Legion is pretty high concept and possibly expensive for the CW. But there's potential there, esp as the CW already sort of has a proving ground thanks to their cameo in the 8th season of SV. Plus, the entire concept of the team readily lends itself to replacing/adding cast members to the show to keep things fresh.

I'd wonder that Tom Welling may even make a cameo but (not to sound like an Apologist) I'd like him to be disassociated from Superman now that Cavill's on the scene. Since the Legion is so closely tied in with Superman, you could argue that it may actually make his legend BIGGER if we never see Superman on the show. Plus, hey, Mon-El packs plenty of firepower in his own right.

Just spitballing here.

It seems to me that one of the best spinoffs they could do would be GREEN ARROW. I mean, Oliver Queen was a regular on SV & you can't exactly say that his storyline was wrapped up. More adventures to come? It'd seem like the best place to start. Tom Welling wouldn't even have to appear if it would clash with the new film but maybe there could be a 'nod' or something, but the show itself would be about Green Arrow. No need to necessarily 'wear out' SV's continuity.

2 other obvious choices are BOOSTER GOLD and BLUE BEETLE, mainly because they were on SV 'in the 11th hour' & seemed to be set up for spinoffs anyway. And what about MARTIAN MANHUNTER? I don't know how keen WB/DC are to actually doing spinoffs directly from SV now that THE MAN OF STEEL is being produced but like I said, these shows can stand on their own 2 feet.

Another idea would be to revive BIRDS OF PREY even if it's a reboot. On that link you provided there's people debating about Dick Grayson having his own show but I doubt that will come to pass due to Nolan. However, the HUNTRESS might be something they could get away with.

EDIT TO ADD: A SUPERGIRL spinoff starring Laura Vandervoort would also be a welcome addition. It seemed like a crappy ending for her character anyway in the SV finale so why not? And I think we know that a Supergirl film is not going to succeed so that would make a TV series a better bet. It'd also 'fill the void' left by SV's departure.

I'd also suggest redoing WONDER WOMAN but that's liable to be met with LAUGHS! Supergirl would be a better bet.

Here's another idea. Infinity, Inc. This group was mostly made up of the children and/or heirs of the JSA. The nature of the team would even permit this sucker being a loose SV spinoff. Just use their version of the JSA as a basis, maybe give those actors the occasional cameo but otherwise let the Infinity, Inc characters stand on their own. The group naturally steers toward a CW-friendly cast, age-wise, so that part's covered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Inc

Also, the diversity of the characters is rife with potential for conflict. Some characters may be kind of hip to being children of superheroes while others... not so much. There's an obvious metaphor of celebrity children, with some being more into that than others. You could also throw a stage mother metaphor in there too. Hell, boarding school too.

Being as Infinity, Inc was strictly Earth-2, it's either really easy or else a real pain in the ass to bring those characters into TV depending on how you look at it. Power Girl... look, she worked great as an Earth-2 character but it's pretty clear DC has often never had the first clue what to do with her ever since Crisis. Ditto the Huntress (who's bat motif makes absolutely no sense outside of Earth-2). On the other hand, given the movie division's allergy about overlapping franchises, this all could be a blessing in disguise.

Worst case, bring back Laura Vandervoort as Kara and have her replace Power Girl. Easy peezy. Hell, you could even use her as a leader given her experience and raw firepower.

Overall, there are worse notions for a CW-oriented DC adaptation. Not many comic book characters from DC or Marvel permit the kind of "character evolving into a superhero" arc that SV ran with. Superman obviously did, Batman, maybe Wonder Woman but a lot of characters simply became superheroes and then learned how to be superheroes. In that order. It's hard to think of a lot that prepared for the job in advance. But Infinity, Inc bypasses a lot of that while still sticking to the core CW demographic.

Anyway. It's an idea.

I started reading Infinity, Inc. back during the 'Crisis' era in the mid-80's & really enjoyed it. However, when I once again 'stopped' reading & collecting comics, it fell by the wayside so I don't really know whatever happened with it in the long run. I've seen back issues in a used book store before but I wasn't buying comics at the time so I didn't. A TV series sounds good to me but knowing WB/CW/DC, they probably wouldn't have a clue how to go about it!

I'm telling you, they need to take that 'Supermax' movie script and re-work it into a new tv series. You have the familiarity of Hartley as Green Arrow, and can probably even throw in some other 'Smallville' regulars too.

Win-win for the CW Network.

Apologist Puncher wrote:I'm telling you, they need to take that 'Supermax' movie script and re-work it into a new tv series. You have the familiarity of Hartley as Green Arrow, and can probably even throw in some other 'Smallville' regulars too.

Win-win for the CW Network.

...

Fuck... and the entire plotline of Supermax DOES revolve around Green Arrow's identity being known to the public after all... so hmm. I think the concept is friggin stupid for a feature film but since SV already let that particular cat out of the bag, I'd argue it makes sense to take the idea to the logical conclusion.

I'm far too intelligent to work in HollyWeird.

Here's another idea. The Jack Knight version of Starman. I think there's a lot of potential there, esp if you add James Robinson as a story editor or something. The basic idea is that Jack becomes Starman for the same reason that Michael became the Don; the preferred brother was shot to death. This isn't what Jack wanted but he does it (A) because somebody has to and (B) on his terms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starman_%28Jack_Knight%29

Frankly, you've got no shortage of believable themes to hit upon- family legacy vs. individual choice (this is an obvious one but that doesn't make it any less powerful), preserving the past rather than celebrating a wrecking ball present, etc. I don't think it skews too far off from what the CW's audience has become. Ten years ago, I don't think this would've been necessarily a completely natural choice. But now? It fits well with the core demographic.

There are superheroics aplenty but it's all done in a pretty grounded fashion. You could make this work for a TV budget and the back story isn't so unwieldy and cumbersome as to be a drag on the narrative. It's simply part of Jack's essential back story. He needs a history but you don't have to go to ridiculous extremes of setting up the entire freaking JSA just so you can get down to business with Jack.

All in all, this could play very well. And I'd argue that Jack's story would play out a hell of a lot better in live action TV than it would in a movie or even an animated series.

People tend to myopically lock in on heavies like Superman or Batman when theses sorts of adaptations pop up. That overlooks how dense and rich DC's canon really is (something even they're guilty of a lot of times). Jack Knight could be HUGE on TV.

I would be down for any of the starman

Wasn’t a recent incarnation of Wonder Woman not picked up because it smelled like rotting tun; that pretty much tells you how these knotheads handle one of their first string.

Any of these suggestions wouldn’t have the appeal or viewership that would be needed to succeed. The reason SV made it to 10 seasons was the big tease and the final money shot…

Bring some second team player to life will not work trust me on this. Superboy back in the late 80’s had appeal, because the fan base was there, too bad the assholes at WB forced it off the air. Perhaps a Supergirl might fly; fans and viewers are fickle nowadays.

Acually its all about budget, tone and direction the shows would take and who the show runners are.

Rduce wrote:Wasn’t a recent incarnation of Wonder Woman not picked up because it smelled like rotting tun; that pretty much tells you how these knotheads handle one of their first string.

Any of these suggestions wouldn’t have the appeal or viewership that would be needed to succeed.

Not sure I agree with that. Ultimately a Jack Knight/Starman show (or any show) would have to succeed or fail on its own merits, just like any other show. The fact that it's a comic book show doesn't automatically give it different standards to have to meet.

The reason SV made it to 10 seasons was the big tease and the final money shot…

Again, I disagree. It wasn't just comic book fans watching that show. Somehow people were able to watch that show for years without realizing that it was about Superman (which, btw, puts the lie to any notion that his origin story is incredibly well known so it should be skipped in movies). They came back each week because they liked the characters and the storyline. It succeeded because it told a story viewers got invested in.

Superboy back in the late 80’s had appeal, because the fan base was there, too bad the assholes at WB forced it off the air.

Superboy was a Velveeta factory of a TV series but it had some good moments. The Salkinds take a lot of shit but it's interesting to note that they never butchered the character like Singerman did.

Of course, WB forcefully retaking the rights ultimately led to Lois & Clark, which by and large I rather enjoy.

Here's another suggestion for a DC adaptation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man

Just finished reading this series. It reminds me of The Walking Dead in some ways in terms of the writing style, the apocalypse angle, etc. In fact, it'd probably play better on a non-traditional station like AMC or what have you. I mean, yeah, the superficial girl power angle may make you think at first this is CW fodder but there's too much meat and, oh yeah, murder, profanity and tits to EVER scrub for network television. You're never going to be able to do it. So why fight the inevitable?

As for why it has to be TV... this story is small and fairly intimate but rich and nuanced. It's an ensemble piece where each of the characters take center stage and really propel the themes and the narrative. There's just too much shit there to really do it justice in a film. A "three hour epic" just isn't what this comic book needs to be. You can do that with big, grandiose superhero stuff to demonstrably good results but Y is something that belongs on TV for all the same reasons that Walking Dead had to be a TV show... and hopefully a better show than that which The Walking Dead has become.

All in all, this is hardly an ideal entry point into DC (esp as this is a Vertigo thing) but at least it gets the fucking DC brand out there. It's not likely to harm the cause and the subject matter alone more or less demands a certain amount of controversy and hype just going into it.

And that's something else. I don't care who you are, there's a little sumthin-sumthin here to piss everybody off. Liberal/conservative/indie, gay/straight/bi/uncertain/neutral, man/woman, adult/child, pro-Israel/pro-"Palestine", pro-choice/pro-abortion, sooner or later (sooner, I think) SOMETHING in this book is going to seriously piss you off. So right away, you're looking at an AMC type of deal.

Anyway. Just my two pennies.

EDIT- Oops.

Another idea is The Ray/Raymond Terrill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_%28Ray_Terrill%29



Apart from being ridiculously powerful in a strictly CG-friendly kind of way, Ray has a unique backstory in terms of the borderline neglect/abuse he experienced as a kid and father issues I'd put up against any other comic book character. This shit would have a lot of potential even if it was totally divorced from superhero stuff. Powerful conflicts are strewn all over the place here.

As with other suggestions, his backstory ties in with the DCU but, for purposes of adaptation, Ray isn't inseparable from those story elements. You can retain the Justice Society connection or you can skip it. Either would work. His powers work in a way that's friendly to TV effects budgets, his back story is more than solid enough for any TV show and the optional DCU connections give you a lot of flexibility in terms of how fantastic you want the series to be. You've got a lot of options with this. There are a number of ways to spin this.

Here's another idea. Damage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damage_%28comics%29



As with my half-assed idea of an All-Star Squadron series, you have the opportunity to tie this in to Smallville. It's strictly optional, but it's one the table. Also, Damage's backstory includes the Justice Society but not necessarily inseparably so. You could just as easily modify his origin so that he's the product of genetic engineering rather than, y'know, a combination of a metric fuckton of superheroes. Either or.

As with some of my other suggestions, what makes this work is that Damage/Grant is not a mega icon. You can make a TV series out of Damage in a way that works for TV without worrying about pissing off legions upon legions of fans. He never had that kind of following. But at the same time, he has a legacy with a fucking huge part of the entire DCU so, if the rights can be worked out, you've got opportunities galore for guest stars and whatnot. Hell, you can make this a backdoor tie-in to Smallville simply by casting Dean Cain as Vandal Savage and letting the pieces fall where they may as far as continuity is concerned.

Anyway. There are ways to make this work.

thecolorsblend wrote:EDIT- Oops.

Huh?! What did I miss?

non_amos wrote:

thecolorsblend wrote:EDIT- Oops.

Huh?! What did I miss?

Nothing really. The Damage thing was on page 1 and I immediately posted The Ray thing, which went on page 2. I didn't want the Damage thing to get overlooked so I just used that post as filler so that the Damage and Ray posts would both go on page 2. Nothing more complicated than that.

I'm coming back to this.

thecolorsblend wrote:Here's another idea. The Jack Knight version of Starman. I think there's a lot of potential there, esp if you add James Robinson as a story editor or something. The basic idea is that Jack becomes Starman for the same reason that Michael became the Don; the preferred brother was shot to death. This isn't what Jack wanted but he does it (A) because somebody has to and (B) on his terms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starman_%28Jack_Knight%29

Frankly, you've got no shortage of believable themes to hit upon- family legacy vs. individual choice (this is an obvious one but that doesn't make it any less powerful), preserving the past rather than celebrating a wrecking ball present, etc. I don't think it skews too far off from what the CW's audience has become. Ten years ago, I don't think this would've been necessarily a completely natural choice. But now? It fits well with the core demographic.

There are superheroics aplenty but it's all done in a pretty grounded fashion. You could make this work for a TV budget and the back story isn't so unwieldy and cumbersome as to be a drag on the narrative. It's simply part of Jack's essential back story. He needs a history but you don't have to go to ridiculous extremes of setting up the entire freaking JSA just so you can get down to business with Jack.

All in all, this could play very well. And I'd argue that Jack's story would play out a hell of a lot better in live action TV than it would in a movie or even an animated series.

People tend to myopically lock in on heavies like Superman or Batman when theses sorts of adaptations pop up. That overlooks how dense and rich DC's canon really is (something even they're guilty of a lot of times). Jack Knight could be HUGE on TV.

I finally read the entire Jack Knight/Starman run. When people talk shit about how this is the best comic of the 90's... well, they have a leg to stand on, put it that way.

This sucker would work even better on TV than I first thought. It's almost designed for TV. If anybody from the network is insecure about costumes and shit, well, Jack doesn't really wear one (unless welders goggles and a leather jacket count).

The sad thing is that apparently a TV show was planned at one point but because Birds of Prey got canned, whoever was developing it got cold feet and so they apparently cancelled the show before it even went all that far in pre-development.