Ava DuVernay was a rising star with her projects like Selma, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us, Queen Sugar, and more. It led to her getting a massive deal with Warner Bros. TV that would have her signed up for five years, which was worth $100M. Yet, it seems that Warner Bros. and DuVernay have decided to part ways and will no longer continue the contract after 2023.
Keep in mind, this is not something that was due to the WGA strike but rather was a mutual decision between both parties. There’s no drama involved with this decision but there are no details on what exactly is the cause for this development. We currently also have no news on where she is heading next, as she focuses her work on the post-production of the film Caste.
It’s not uncommon that some deals just don’t continue due to a change in focus. There’s a chance that DuVarney is simply more interested in pushing forward her cinematic projects. Plus, there might be some disinterest after the DC project New Gods fell apart that she was heavily involved with quite some time ago, and the cancelation of Naomi on the CW. But, if there’s no drama as reported then it might just be a decision to refocus moving forward but we’ll have to see if she breaks another TV deal.
The CW has canceled a slew of shows including the DC Comics adaptation Naomi.
After finishing its first season just two days ago, the CW has confirmed Naomi will not be returning for a second season. The news, while unfortunate, shouldn’t be too surprising. Despite having Ava DuVernay behind the project and plenty of critical acclaim, the series failed to find an audience like most of the network’s shows.
This marks the latest DC Comics television series to get the ax following the cancellations of Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. Currently, renewal decisions have yet to be made for The Flash, which is rumored to end after Season 9, Stargirl, and Riverdale. Superman&Lois has already been renewed for a third season. A new DC Show, titled Gotham Knights, has filmed a pilot for the network; a decision regarding that title has not yet been made either although it is expected to be ordered to series.
While the CW has been notorious for its low ratings, it was recently announced that the network might soon be going up for sale. In the past, The CW benefited greatly from its Netflix deal, which was thought to bring in a fair amount of revenue while in place. Unfortunately, after that deal was not renewed with Warner Bros. looking to use its own streaming service instead, the CW shows suffered. It is currently thought that Nexstar is the frontrunner to purchase the CW, although it is unlikely a deal will be made in time for the network’s upfronts presentation next week.
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.
While WarnerMedia looks to sell the CW, the network is operating normally. During the TCAs on Thursday, Ava DuVernay teased her forthcoming DC Comics adaption, Naomi, hitting the CW next week on Jan. 11. Naomi, of course, is the second DC Comics title DuVernay has tackled. Shortly before the director’s New Gods feature was shelved, DC and the CW announced last February she’d be bringing Naomi, a relatively new title, to life on the small screen. For DuVernay, getting to tackle a book like Naomi was important.
“It’s not about representation, it’s about normalization,” DuVernay explained. “We’re doing really muscular things that relate to race and gender and class but we’re doing it by playing it normal like it’s just a part of the everyday… The more you can portray images without underlining or highlighting them and putting a star next to them. By showing a different type of hero that centers a girl, a Black girl, that centers different kinds of folks. We start to make that normal and that’s a radical and revolutionary thing.”
As for what fans can expect from the adaptation? DuVernay notes that they crammed a lot into the first two episodes, however, don’t expect any crossovers to happen just yet. “We got a lot of information in the first two episodes which means: we get to make up cool new things,” she said. “You won’t see any crossovers in season one. We’re focused on Naomi’s journey singularly.”
Naomi, of course, is based on the comic of the same name from Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker and artist Jamal Campbell. The series follows Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) who is a top student, skateboarder and huge Superman fan. After a stunt in her hometown of Port Oswego turns her world upside down, Naomi finds herself dealing with strange new fainting spells as she tries to uncover who or what is behind the unexpected event. As she looks for answers, and finds some folks in her town know more than they’re letting on, Naomi will find the event has changed her life for good, challenging her to question everything she knows.
The CW is making Tuesdays a DC night for fans. The network unveiled its upcoming midseason schedule. Superman & Lois will serve as a lead-in to Naomi to help launch its newest DC Comics adaption.
The second season of Superman & Lois kicks off on Jan. 11 at 8pm. During its premiere, Superman & Lois pulled in an impressive 3.25 million viewers. However, the viewership declined, as with most shows. By season’s end, the show was pulling in under 1 million views, with a less-than-stellar 0.2 in the all-important 18-49 demographic and 891,000 viewers. Still, for a CW show, those numbers are rather normal. The decision to have Naomi follow the series when it returns, however, could prove beneficial to both series.
Naomi, of course, is based on the DC Comic of the same name. It is a drama that focuses on a high schooler (Kaci Walfall) who discovers her hidden destiny after a supernatural event affects her hometown. The series was developed by Ava DuVernay, who serves as an executive producer alongside Jill Blankenship (Arrow).
DC is notorious for announcing movies that would never actually go anywhere, one of those being Ava Duvernay’s highly anticipated New Gods, which would sadly end up being shelved at WB. But Duvernay wasn’t done with the DC Universe as she’d begun developing, Naomi, the popular comic by Brian Michael Bendis, for the CW Network. The project moved into action quite quickly, gathering a cast and crew, filming the pilot shortly after. The series would receive a green light from the CW for a full-season order.
A recent clip from Naomi has made its way onto the internet and seems to confirm that the series will remain accurate to the mini-series. The clip gives us our very first look at Alexander Wraith as Dee, the mysterious mechanic in town who Naomi believes is holding a secret the could solve the mystery of her origin.
The series seems to be adapting the Raanian/Thanagar War plotline from the comics. Dee is a Thanagarian war deserter, who planned to run from the conflict with his wife who didn’t make it to earth. Naomi’s adoptive father is the one who came to earth in search of Dee but ended up falling in love and staying on Earth.
Naomi is one of DCs newest and perhaps most interesting stories, focusing on Naomi McDuffie as she begins to realize her life in Port Oswego isn’t what it seems. Naomi comes to believe that there’s something larger at play and that she’s at the center of it as she begins to develop energy-based meta-human abilities and looks for the truth behind her origin.
The year 2019 marked the debut of yet another original character from Brian Michael Bendis, Naomi. He is best known for creating characters like Jessica Jones, Miles Morales, Ironheart, and Daisy Johnson. The story of his latest work followed the bright, young mind of Naomi. She slowly discovers that something larger at play going on in her small town of Port Oswego. The mystery expanded as Naomi began to dig deeper and deeper to discover just where she really came from, as she begins to develop abilities that rival even the might of Superman.
For those unfamiliar with the character of Naomi and interested in her story, the best place to start would be Naomi issues #1-6. Naomi joins Bendis’ run on Young Justice in issue 10 and remains on the team till its end on issue #20. Naomi joins a packed roster alongside Stargirl, Superman and Lois, Batwoman, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. Alongside the news of a series pickup, the CW has confirmed that they’ve passed on the planned Painkiller series that was set to spin-off Black Lightning as the series reaches its end.
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.
DC is moving full steam ahead with its live-action adaptions. The CW has been their main hub, which led to the creation of the Arrowverse back in 2012. Many of the original series has already ended or are finishing up their run. Still, it wasn’t the end as they’ve been slowly announcing developments on new properties. One of them being Naomi. The series got announced a few months back, and the brilliant mind of Ava Duvernay is working on the project. For those who don’t know, Duvernay is no stranger to the DC Universe. She’s currently developing on a New Gods film, directing and co-writing alongside comic book writer, Tom King.
The series has already begun casting its leads, moving along quite fast since its announcement. Naomi has found its titular character in Kaci Walfall, the 16-year-old actress. She will take on the role of the superpowered teen from an alternate version of Earth. The series will focus on uncovering her past. The series has also cast Alexander Wraith as Dee, Cranston Johnson as Zumbado, and Camila Moreno as Lourdes.
The character breakdowns provide a slightly different story than what we’ve seen before. For those who don’t know, Zumbado is the big bad and is on the hunt for Naomi. He has chased her after her parents sent her to another dimension to protect her from Zumbado. Here, Zumbado has already made his way to Earth and is running a used car lot. Naomi steers clear of him as she’s heard of his “troubled past.” Another slight change is in the character of Dee, as he’s now running a tattoo parlor instead of a mechanic shop. It’ll be interesting to see if Dee’s origins are changed, considering the comics he’s a Thanagarian war refugee who came to Earth after abandoning the Raan/Thanagar War. He tries to live a happy life with his wife, who doesn’t make it.
Ava Duvernay is becoming a mainstay at Warner Bros., especially with the recent announcement that she’d begun developing Naomi, a solo series based on one of DC’s newest characters. Naomi was created by Brian Michael Bendis back in 2019. She hails from another Earth within the multiverse. Her planet had gone through an environmental trauma, which caused the ozone layer to break. As a result, unknown radiation started to seep into her home planet. It ended up giving exactly twenty-nine people special abilities. One of these powered individuals, named Zumbado, wanted to kill her. So, her parents had to send her away. She landed on Earth-Prime and got adopted by the McDuffie family in Port Oswego. The production is now actively looking for its lead, as the first casting descriptions revealed by Illuminerdi.
They are looking for a black female around the age of 16 to 18 years. Naomi’s description states that she’s confident, charismatic, and has a sense of style without even trying. It also points out that she is very popular in High School. She is described as a cut above the rest, as she takes AP classes, speaks nine languages, and tries to take every possible extracurricular club activity. Overall, Naomi is a “modern-day Ferris Bueller with a dash of Black Girl Magic and with an unshakeable sense of self” according to her general description.
Naomi was first announced back in December, with Duvernay serving as executive producer and writer alongside Jill Blankenship, who is also serving as writer and producer on the series. Naomi currently has no release date but recently had a pilot ordered by the CW. It’ll be interesting to see such a new addition to the DC Universe make her live-action debut.
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