Jon Cryer may be famous for his time on Two and a Half Men, but he also gave us a memorable run as Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse series. He was first introduced in Supergirl before becoming a mainstay and a big part of its Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover series. In a surprise reveal, it seems like Cryer also wanted to lead his own series as he reveals in a tweet that he pitched a Legion of Doom spinoff series.
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover I pitched Warner Bros on a Legion of Doom series.
While villain-focused projects are seldom, it’s kind of surprising that this never picked up any pace or even that CW wasn’t interested. Cryer was a household name and it would’ve stood out from the other projects in development. Though, it’s unclear if this may have happened around the time CW was already pulling back on its various projects especially with Superman and Lois moving away from the Arrowverse to tell its own story.
Lex Luthor has become a popular addition to various projects, as we recently got Titus Welliver in the role of Titans and the recent casting of The Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz in the role of Superman and Lois. We’ll also get a new version in the upcoming live-action Superman film in development from James Gunn, which will likely become the de facto version of the new DC Universe moving forward.
The CW’s future has been a big question mark for some time. As Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly was restructuring its future projects, it was unclear just how they’d keep their CW network going. As it turned out, they simply decided to give up their majority stake in it and are focused on still producing shows for the network.
Still, quite a few of their DC shows are slowly coming to an end with the big question being if we can expect more in the future. Among them was a project spearheaded by Arrow veteran David Ramsay titled Justice U and it seems that he’s offered a little insight into where the project currently stands with TVLine.
We’re on the second draft of a script, and we just closed the deal on a writer. I’m not sure I can say her name, so I won’t, but we’re very close to submitting our second draft. It’s still in development, and we’re moving forward.
David Ramsey
So, it seems like they are still working on it and they are still in the early script phase. This isn’t the same scenario as what we saw with Powerpuff, which had an entire pilot filmed before they decided to move on from the project; with still no update on where exactly it stands currently. So, we’ll have to see until they start confirming production starts on a pilot.
The Flash is going out with a boomerang. The ninth and final season of the hit CW series has added Richard Harmon to its cast as the villainous Captain Boomerang, a longtime rival of the Scarlet Speedster from DC’s original comic books. According to The CW’s official description, Harmon will play a new version of the baddie in a post-Crisis world. Instead of Digger Harkness, who was played by Nick E. Tarabay in earlier seasons of the show before being killed off in the fifth season of Arrow, this Boomerang will be known as Owen Mercer, after the comic character of the same name. Harmon’s villain will be portrayed as a recently released inmate of Iron Heights, with a chip on his shoulder and a twinkle in his eye that disguises a dangerous and violent threat to Central City.
Harmon is best known for his role as John Murphy on another CW hit series, The 100. He has also appeared on Smallville, Fox’s Fringe, SyFy’s Van Helsing, AMC’s The Killing, Showcase’s Continuum, and the recently released horror movie, Margaux. In the comics, Harmon’s Mercer was the son of the first Captain Boomerang. It’s unknown if The Flash will go this route for the series, although it seems unlikely. Either way, it’s nice to see the series finding a way to include one of its hero’s greatest nemesis in his last television outing.
Grant Gustin will reprise his role as the title character for the shortened ninth season, so expect a few dramatic moments between him and Harmon before the curtains close on Barry Allen’s story.
The uncertainty and unease surrounding the future of Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Universe seem to be growing by the day. As has been widely reported over the last week, new WBD CEO David Zaslav has been busy making a series of drastic alterations to the company’s film slate. Batgirl, along with several other potential projects, received an unexpected axing, and most things in development are potentially on the chopping block.
Before the current upheaval, David Zaslav announced that DC is one of their highest priorities. On top of the announcement that DC would be becoming its own studio within the company, Zaslav has confirmed that they’ve put a team together to run said studio and have put together a ten-year plan, mentioning outright it is similar to what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have built over at Disney. No word has been made on what exactly this “10-year-plan” entails and it’s unknown if WBD will announce a slate anytime soon.
Still, plenty of discussion has erupted about who could possibly be the “Kevin Feige of DC”. According to a report from Variety, one name being considered is TV producer Greg Berlanti, who “has been loudly whispered as a possibility for the role.” Berlanti is known for his work as one of the key architects of the CW’s DC Arrowverse, which included ncluded shows Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Superman & Lois. The Arrowverse featured many classic DC heroes and held several crossover events over the years, so Berlanti’s experience seems on par with what DC Films needs.
However, the report noted that no official discussions between WBD and Berlanti’s team have occurred, and apparently trade reporting insiders think he would not be interested in the role. Another potential candidate mentioned by Variety’s report is producer Dan Lin, whose credits include IT, The LEGO Batman Movie, Godzilla vs. Kong, and the failed Justice League movie that George Miller was preparing in 2009. But Lin is reportedly not interested in the role either.
Whoever ends up as the Feige of DC will be faced with high expectations set by Feige himself at Marvel Studios. It will be interesting to learn who WBD eventually selects for the role, though with all the seeming turmoil in the DC TV and Films, it is unclear when this person or 10-year plan will actuall come to fruition.
With the release of his new memoir, Colton Haynes is finally opening up as to what led him to exit Arrow ahead of Season 8.
His memoir, Miss Memory Lane, was released on May 31st. The 256-page book from Atria Books takes fans down memory lane as Haynes recalls his struggles with addiction, abuse, and his time on Teen Wolf and the CW’s Arrow. The actor, who is set to appear in the Paramount+ Teen Wolf revival movie, left MTV’s Teen Wolf series in 2012 after appearing for two seasons. The decision to leave was financially-based as the network refused to pay the actor what his fellow stars were being paid. Ironically enough, this is an issue Arden Cho experienced too when she received a lowball offer to return for the Paramount+ Teen Wolf movie.
Unfortunately, Haynes had an even more frustrating experience when he was a part of the cast of the CW’s Arrow. The actor starred in the series for seven seasons before transitioning to a recurring role ahead of Season 8. For Haynes, the decision to exit Arrow after Season 7 was due to personal reasons. He wasn’t in the best state mentally, nor did he have a great relationship with his co-stars, or at least one in particular.
In his memoir he writes, “I had walked away from my full-time job on Arrow at the beginning of the year, supposedly because my contract had ended, but it was really because I was too depressed and I couldn’t stand working with one of my cast mates.”
Arrow ended after Season 8 and since then, Haynes hasn’t really appeared in much outside of an episode of Hulu’s Dollface, as well as a music video for Lil Nas X. He can next be seen in Teen Wolf: The Movie, where he’ll reprise his role as Jackson Whittemore. Production recently wrapped and the movie is set to debut sometime this year.
When it comes to the DC Extended Universe, it would be fair to say it is in a bit of a predicament. Since the merger, Discovery is looking to revisit the DC slate in hopes of crafting a unified DCEU within one universe, akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While most of DC’s previously announced films look to be relatively safe, with the exception of Wonder Twins, the same can’t be said for DC’s television shows. With that in mind, we look at the current state of DC TV and try to guess how the merger will impact the remaining series.
The Arrowverse
When it comes to the Arrowverse, what shows remain are far from safe, especially as the CW was recently revealed to never have been profitable. The chances of many of the beloved superhero shows surviving are even more limited if the CW does go up for sale.
The CW has already said goodbye to series like Arrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning and will now say farewell to Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. This leaves only Superman and Lois, Stargirl, Naomi and The Flash, which already looks to be reaching the finish line with its upcoming ninth season.
Superman and Lois, Stargirl, and Naomi are series that do not find themselves very involved with the overall universe unlike the rest of the Arrowverse. While Stargirl has yet to be renewed for a fourth season ahead of Season 3’s debut, Superman and Lois is already set to return for a third season. This, of course, could result in the series potentially ending after Season 3, or it could meet a similar fate to Wonder Twins and be axed before things get moving on production. The upcoming debut of the Justice Society in the DCEU could also spell bad news for Stargirl, whose whole thing is the JSA, and with the strange rules surrounding the use of certain characters in other mediums, the series could meet its end. Naomi is another detached series that could continue onward, but is currently airing its first season and has yet to score a renewal for season 2.
Many will notice that over the past few years, the CW has attempted to get multiple new Arrowverse series like Green Arrow and The Canaries, Painkiller, and Wonder Girl off the ground but to no avail. Gotham Knights is the only one that’s actually been able to film a pilot that was not a spinoff from another pre-existing show, but even that has yet to even secure a series order. Justice U, the David Ramsey-led series that would see him reprise the role of Jon Diggle and train new superheroes has also yet to film a pilot, which means it could also see the chopping block.
HBO Max
HBO Max has become the adoptive home of multiple DCTV series like Doom Patrol, Titans, and Harley Quinn. While a show like Green Lantern could very much still happen, especially as casting has been announced, shows like Strange Adventures and Superhero High appear to be dead in the water. We’ve heard nothing on either of them since they were announced, which seems to suggest they’ll be meeting the chopping block.
The harder question here is the fate of Doom Patrol and Titans. Both series have been running for multiple seasons now and feel like they could come to an end very soon. With Warner Brothers Discovery looking to consolidate and unify its DC Universe, these shows definitely feel like they could indeed be canceled as casualties of war.
Projects that will most likely be safe are those pertaining to Justice League Dark and what Matt Reeves has in the works like The Penguin. Shows like Constantine and Madame X are products of a deal between J.J. Abrams production company and Warner Bros Discovery, they feel like safe bets due to the fact they could contribute to the unified DC the new leadership wants and that they all lead into a big Defenders-like crossover event.
Peacemaker will most likely be fine, as it seems highly unlikely that the series will be canceled following its success and how great James Gunn has been for the DC brand since releasing The Suicide Squad. While a series like Michael B. Jordans‘ Val-Zod series seems likely to be canned as it would take place in another universe and just does not seem like it would be a priority for the new leadership moving forward. And animated series like Young Justice and Harley Quinn will most likely remain unaffected due to these series being a completely separate entity from the other live-action series.
The TV side of things feels like it is going to see much more of a shakeup as the overhaul moves forward at DC Entertainment and Warner Bros Discovery. The new leadership would be smart to evaluate each project and look for the aspects that work and see if they can’t integrate some of these characters into their prime universe.
The young actor Kendrick Jackson has shared some behind-the-scenes photos from Batwoman to celebrate his return to the role of Marquis Jet. The first photo to catch everyone’s attention is the inclusion of what is seemingly our first full look at the Arrowverse series’ version of the Joker, who was only hinted at in the series. The photo offers a full look at the actor Nathan Dashwood in his costume as the iconic Clown Prince of Crime, which showcases just how comic-accurate their version was.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaWDmVlLDF5/
For those that haven’t seen the latest episodes yet, there’s an ongoing trend of familiar villains making their return due to the various trophies that Batman collected over the years are leading to a new generation of villains. In the post-Crisis timeline, the Joker was killed by Batman with the new Batwoman’s brother, Marquis Jet, inheriting the role.
The above reveals hints that we’ll revisit the original version before his death at some point in the story. Jet becoming the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises will definitely lead to quite the conflict and redefine what makes a Joker in the CW series. Batwoman has been trying to take the characters we grew up with and add a twist to them, which this “Inheritance” plotline has certainly enabled. We’ll see if they have way more plans for the future.
The CW is going up for sale by WarnerMedia, with a potential home for the network already in the cards.
Late on Wednesday, Jan. 5th, it was revealed that WarnerMedia was looking to sell its television network, the CW. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, with the outlet reporting Nexstar is one of the potential suitors. Interestingly enough, while WSJ was able to confirm the network is for sale, it was unable to note whether ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia intend on selling the entire network outright or retaining a minority stake following the purchase.
The CW, of course, has long been a struggling network since its debut in 2006. At the time, the network came about when UPN and The WB Network were merged together. Compared to other networks, the views for the CW have long been less than stellar with much of the revenue earned by the network coming from the international streaming sales of its biggest titles, including The Flash and Dynasty. While the CW once had a strong deal with Netflix that helped to booster some of its titles, that deal expired in 2019 following the launch of HBO Max. This ultimately cut into the network’s profits for the sales of international streaming rights.
When the CW was created, it was meant to provide a network for viewers between the ages of 18-34. Yet, while the network has found some success with its DC Comics adaptations (nicknamed the Arrowverse), viewership has continued to decline, with most titles lucky to even pull in a 1.0 rating in the all-too-important 18-34 demographic.
The upcoming CW drama focused on the recently introduced DC character, Naomi, is currently being developed for the CW Network. The show will feature Kaci Walfall in the title role, and the series has now added multiple more to its cast. The production has added Barry Watson as Greg, Naomi’s adoptive father. He gets described as a retired veteran and Mouzam Makkar as her adoptive mother. Amongst more additions includes Mary-Charles Jones, Aidan Gemme, and Daniel Puig. The series has also set Amanda Marsalis to direct and co-executive produce the pilot episode of the series.
For those who aren’t close to the Naomi comics, her adoptive father Greg is from the planet Raan. In that storyline, Thanagar and Raan were in the midst of a war in which Dee, played by Alexander Wraith in the upcoming series, fled the war. Greg came to Earth to find Dee, a Thanagarian but ended up staying after meeting his now-wife. It’s unclear if the series will make him completely human or just part of the military as a cover.
Other additions to the cast include Mary-Charles Jones as Annabelle, Naomi’s best friend, who is incredibly loyal and will tell her the hard truths. Aidan Gemme will play Jacob, described as “sweet, shy and nerdy,” as well as Annabelle’s longtime boyfriend. Finally, Daniel Puig will play Nathan, a high school jock who also happens to be Naomi’s Ex. Naomi currently has no release date. The pilot got written by Ava Duvernay and Jill Blankenship, who is producing it through Array Productions.
It looks like CW’s The Flash has added one more speedster. According to Variety, Jordan Fisher has joined the cast as Bart Allen. Comic fans might recognize him as the superhero Impulse. As his name implies, he is Barry and Iris’ son from the future. He is described as “wildly impulsive,” which makes it difficult for Barry and Iris to keep him in check. He’ll make his debut in the series 150th episode during its seventh season. He will be a recurring guest star. So, we can expect a lot more from the actor throughout the later half of The Flash.
Fisher has quite the resume as an actor, musician, and dancer. He has appeared in films, television, and on Broadway. He has appeared in Hamilton, Teen Wolf, and voiced She-Ra and the Princess of Power. So, he is quite a talented get for the long-running show and it will be interesting to see how the addition of Bart Allen might change the overall dynamic.
It will be the second child of the Allen’s to be introduced in the show, as we also were introduced to Nora West-Allen from an alternate future. Her fate was left ambiguous. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they explore the dynamic. She is still remembered by the team, as hinted at in the new timeline. Perhaps Bart gets a little sister at some point in this new part of the multiverse. The show has played around a lot with timetravel. It adds an interesting wild factor to whatever the writers have planned in the future.
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