CW Developing ‘Young Justice’ TV Series for 2015?

[smallville fan]

http://screenrant.com/young-justice-tv-series-show-cw-2015/

The DC movie universe is so overrun with rumors and speculation right now, it’s hard to keep anything straight. We’re getting a Batman vs. Superman movie in 2015, which will be a sequel to Man of Steel and will star Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in the titular roles as Batman and Superman, respectively. On the TV side, the Arrow TV show is going strong, it will give rise to a Flash TV show in the near future, and there’s word of shows like a Batman spinoff, Gotham Central, or a Constantine TV series being in the works. That’s about all the confirmed news that anybody has right now.

If you want to talk rumors, well, that conversation could go on for days; what it all boils down to, however, is that the roadmap for DC and Warner Bros. remains unclear, and the sense that the studio is flying by the seat of its pants remains prevalent. This latest rumor won’t change that sentiment one bit.

According to Bleeding Cool, The CW – home of DC/WB’s superhero TV series like Arrow and Smallville - could be getting a Young Justice TV show in 2015. For those not in the know: Young Justice is exactly what the title would suggest: a team made up of younger versions of the heroes in the Justice League. Superboy, Batman’s sidekick Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad – you get the idea.

Fanboys will likely recoil at the additional mention by BC that this Young Justice series would be “live action teen drama/romance…with a superhero twist.” The notion of Young Justice being in any way comparable to the network’s teen soap opera dramas (and all the stigma that goes with) will not make a good initial impression. However, the added note that the series will be based on the games, comics and (most importantly) hit cartoon series IS a good sign.

Young Justice the cartoon has been airing on Carton Network since 2010. The show is probably the closest that DC Animation has come to matching the success (and formula) of its early 2000s Justice League animated series. Though Young Justice may not be quite as big with fans as its predecessor (which is arguable), it is distinguished by the fact that it has won an Emmy Award (whereas Justice League was only bestowed with nominations).

The point being: both the cartoon and the various iterations of the comic books (including both the Young Justice and Teen Titans titles) offer plenty of rich story material for a good show. Arrow has proven to be a welcome surprise in superhero storytelling – CW style – but this teen team dynamic is undoubtedly ripe for some potent cheese.

First, there’s the obvious concern of weak links in an ensemble chain; or worse yet, no standout links. Arrow star Stephen Amell was a find – now do that six times over, with affordable but quality young actors. No pressure.

Second, there’s the question of character development and narrative progression. Arrow is about the slow development of one hero – but a group dynamic is something much different to juggle. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had a hard time finding its footing, and even it doesn’t have to contend with point #3:

Superpowers. They’re hard to do on TV budgets – and doing them with multiple characters would be a true feat. Avoiding them entirely – or minimizing them to camera tricks or sparse use – runs the risk of underwhelming the viewers. No demographic would be served by a show that is 3/4 teen soap and 1/4 superpowers. Nobody needs that.

Smallville once tried to feature its own version of a Justice League in a story arc. I say “tried” because the results definitely looked more like an attempt than an accomplishment.

The Young Justice squad tends to feature Robin and Superboy as its core, and Bleeding Cool‘s report also notes that Miss Martian (the female younger version of Martian Manhunter) will also be featured. Those are ambitious characters to tackle. Any fan of Arrow may see how certain characters from that show (like Colton Haynes’ Roy Harper) could be spun into a Young Justice series (thus bridging that gap); and those recent rumors of a TV version of Nightwing now seem all the more relevant.

…But as always with DC/WB, there is not necessarily fire where there is spark. Young Justice could be a self-contained experiment with no other ties to the DC TV universe; it may not even make it out of the trial stages. We’ll see.

This is DC/WB we’re talking about: Nothing and everything is possible.

Thoughts guys?

 

[Rorschach2012]

Robin has to be a part of this.

I want it to be connected to Arrow and Flash as well. Roy and Wally can be major characters in YJ

I think the team should be: Robin, Red Arrow, Superboy, Miss Martian, Aqualad/Khaldur, Kid Flash, and Raven

 

[DrRocket]

^ get rid of aqua lad and raven and put Artemis on there instead

 

[dsfjr1190]

I'm not sure about this. Half of the characters won't be able to be used either due to Arrow or WB/DC mandates. The chances of any of the Batfamily appearing is laughable, Red Arrow being on Arrow may keep him off the roster, Barry Allen is just now being introduced on Arrow so I can't see Wally as Kid Flash any time soon, etc.

I really disliked Superboy and Miss Martian in the cartoon so having them be lead focus of a show does absolutely nothing for me.

 

[Rorschach2012]

^ get rid of aqua lad and raven and put Artemis on there instead

No way. Two archers on the team? What's the point. That'd be lame. Aqualad and Raven are infinitely better characters than Artemis too.....

 

[Rorschach2012]

I'm not sure about this. Half of the characters won't be able to be used either due to Arrow or WB/DC mandates. The chances of any of the Batfamily appearing is laughable, Red Arrow being on Arrow may keep him off the roster, Barry Allen is just now being introduced on Arrow so I can't see Wally as Kid Flash any time soon, etc.

I really disliked Superboy and Miss Martian in the cartoon so having them be lead focus of a show does absolutely nothing for me.

I doubt this. Robin has to be a part of this show. He's integral

 

[DrRocket]

^ dude aqua lad was annoyng, remember its on the cw, doubt they would pass on the relationship between Artemis and kid flash

 

[godisawesome]

I think CW has earned some well deserved goodwill after Arrow, and if they can find even adequate actors but can keep the writing bar from arrow, I could see this working. Even the drama would be okay provided they managed to get enough humor and action going. Geoff Johns wrote a pretty dramatic and soap opera-ish Teen Titans, Greg Weisman had some very teen soap aspects to the cartoon, and some of Peter David's best stuff with Young Justice was the quiet, serious moments peppered in the humor. As long as the drama stays more in those lines and maintains an organic flow, I don't foresee the drama being that bad.

The powers and fight scenes do worry me a bit. I have faith they could manage a Superboy with powers like the one in the cartoon, albeit slowed down with more emphasis on his strength. Miss Martian has the whole brain thing on her side, so that's not quite as expensive, since telepathy, shape shifting, and even most telekinesis won't be that hard to do. If they've figured out how to do Flash in Arrow, they've got Kid Flash/Impulse ready to go. And any Arrows or Bats wouldn't require anything Arrow doesn't deliver on a weekly basis. It's doing all these things at once that worries me.

Ad I think a Robin or Noghtwing has a strong chance to show up. We've see indications that the new regime at the WB doesn't believe in the "multiple continuities will dilute the brand" claptrap, and if Gotham and Arrow continue to pull more Batman aspects into the show, it becomes more likely a Robin could make the jump. Especially if Superboy has a connection to the Big Blue S. One member of the World's Finest could justify the second having a direct impact on the show.

However, a part of me's certain they'll want to eliminate almost any chance of the Big Seven appearing. So I pray they don't try something like Birds of Prey, using Death and retirement to permanently remove any appearance and leave a bad taste in the audience's mouth. Just copy the idea from Young Justice Invasion: the League is trapped off-world, forcing the heroes to step into the light.

In the end, this seems feasible and ambitious to me, and has the potential to effectively give DC a stranglehold on the television battle with Marvel. But only if pulled off correctly. And if it reaches pilot stage, I'd say we can be certain on,y a quality product will pass into a series.

 

[Donut]

I'm not sure about this. Half of the characters won't be able to be used either due to Arrow or WB/DC mandates. The chances of any of the Batfamily appearing is laughable, Red Arrow being on Arrow may keep him off the roster, Barry Allen is just now being introduced on Arrow so I can't see Wally as Kid Flash any time soon, etc.

I really disliked Superboy and Miss Martian in the cartoon so having them be lead focus of a show does absolutely nothing for me.

The WB needs to stop thinking that the audiences are stupid. If they keep these shows separate from the movies. People will know the differences

 

[regnak]

This doesn't make much sense. The Flash is supposed to be the first super powered hero in the DC TV verse. Now all of a sudden we have a lot of heroes and teen sidekicks? Unless it is out of continuity with Arrow and the Flash it doesn't add up.

 

[X-Ray]

Without Robin and possibly the whole Bat family? Idk.

 

[Mikelus]

I'm surprised by this, but till it is official, is better to take it with a good grain of salt. This show would be more expensive than Arrow and Smallville (more superpowers, etc.), a movie version would be better IMO, we'll see.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Better have a wonder girl. Tired of that character (s) getting the short hand. And I can see them using Bart since be is from the future.

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

Very concerned about this, part of the fun of Young Justice was seeing the entire DCU on display through the eyes of the Young Justice Crew, there's no way they could do that for this show.

It's not that this couldn't happen, I'm more along the lines of it shouldn't. Respect what came before and don't do a money grab.

Smallville was good, Arrow is great, Flash has potential, keep it to one hero shows. I'm still all for Shazam!, I'm even writing teleplays to prove how epic it can be.

 

[godisawesome]

I think they could pull off the wider DCU if they set the story about ten years ahead of Arrow and Flash and used something like Invasion's trial method to keep the big dogs out.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

teen actors and potentially not enough budget for the VFX.

Hmm....we'll see....

I have a feeling that this is best left for animation though.

 

[Warhammer]

Expand on a one hero show from the hopefully successful Flash spin-off. Let's not get too ambitious.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

WB/DC... What are you doing? Years... YEARS with little or no live action offerings other than Batman and now your are just shotgunning live action projects all over the place.

What they should be doing for tv is concentrating on a small, like 3, number of projects for NETFLIX that range across genres. Those and a possible FLASH show are all that are necessary for the small screen. Get S/B out of the way, WW and then JLA. I see nothing good coming from this. I am willing to be surprised but the idea of YJ/TT getting to live action BEFORE JLA just makes me scratch my head when I am not banging against a brick wall.

 

[Primal Slayer]

teen actors and potentially not enough budget for the VFX.

Hmm....we'll see....

I have a feeling that this is best left for animation though.

A lot of the YJers dont have that much of splashy powers to display. Super speed, super strength, shapeshifting, possible TK. All very doable on a CW budget.

Though if they aren't in costumes, don't even bother with a show. Aint nobody got time for that.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I don't think the question today, given VFX, is if CW can pull off the power sets of the characters. It's if CW can pull them off well.

 

[Hush]

^ dude aqua lad was annoyng, remember its on the cw, doubt they would pass on the relationship between Artemis and kid flash

CW back when it was The WB once ordered a Aquaman pilot, don't discount their love for the character and his mythology plus Aqualad was awesome in YJ.

I don't think the question today, given VFX, is if CW can pull off the power sets of the characters. It's if CW can pull them off well.

I think CW can pull them off fine, I would also like to see this only be a 12 episodes per season sort of deal as that would allow the budget to breath. You're seeing that with the quality we are getting in Sleepy Hollow.

 

[roach]

I'll have to see it before i condemn it…and people wonder why WB is giving all the DC TV love…thank the new CEO

 

[Primal Slayer]

But WB needs to venture out of CW more for these superhero adaptions. They went to FOX for the possible Gotham series but that is about all. Go to HBO or something where some of these characters can flourish the way they should.

 

[godisawesome]

Sorry, but now that the possibility exists, or is simply being made up for an Internet rumor, I kind of want to construct a possible pitch for the show, and I kind of want to see other people's pitches in depth as well. In other words, how would you make this work? Who's your cast? What's your approach?

Set seven years after the current setting of Arrow, Young Justice features the titular group of teen and young adult heroes protecting the world in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of a vast portion of the world's adult population, including the Justice League. While far from alone, Young Justice is made up of largely inexperienced but vastly powerful heirs to the world's greatest heroes, making their quickened growth essential to the safety of the world. With heavy hitting villains still threatening the chaotic status quo of the world, these children must deal with their hormones, secrets, responsibilities, all while maintaining normal appearances in civilian life and trying to fill the Justice League's shoes.

Nightwing (Caucasian, Early-to-mid 20's)-Team Leader and most experienced of the remaining world heroes. The first Robin, attempts to coordinate the heroic response to the ongoing crisis and takes the role of teacher and mentor to the team. Well aware he is attempting to fill Batman's shoes, and is better at the job then he thinks.

Superboy (Caucasian, Late Teens)- Potentially the most powerful person remaining in the world, Superboy is chronologically 7 weeks old, physically 18 years old, and mentally straddling the line between highly educated tactician and rebellious teenager. Starts off with immense strength and durability, but needs to learn how to unlock and control his other powers. Frustrated with his seeming lack of power, can be a little bit arrogant and testy, but otherwise a charmer. In truth, a cloned weapon created by Lex Luthor, who has vanished but is not connected to the other adults' disappearance.

Miss Martian (African-American, Late Teens)- The optimistic and kind but secretive refugee ward of Martian Manhunter. Displays Martian powers of telepathy, shape shifting, and telekinesis. Comes off as a bubbly cheerleader type, but can break into a scary as hell warrior when pressed. Actually a White Martian, a species which has attacked Earth numerous times before hand, and suffers from PTSD when put into a cage or mentally attacked.

Aquagirl (Hispanic, Late Teens)- Alpha female type, and most experieced of the team apart from Nightwing, being the former bratty teenage daughter of an Atlantean ambassador and her American husband. Ambitious and intelligent, but perhaps overconfident, being very used to getting what she wants with her own two hands. Older sister type most of the time. Roughly as strong and durable as Superboy currently is, she becomes somewhat insecure when he begins to surpass her and begins to study Atlantean magic. Requires submersion in saltwater every 24 hours, and hostile towards those who see that as a weakness.

Impulse (Ambiguous ancestry, Mid Teens)-Future descendent of the Flash, raised in artificial environment and thus very reckless and, well, impulsive. Got his code name from Batman. Arguably the most flippant of the main characters, still very much a nice guy who just doesn't think ahead at all. Has the greatest control and understanding of his powers, but very predictable and simplistic in his tactical thinking.

Robin (Caucasian/Korean, Mid Teens)- Tim Drake is the third Robin almost through sheer misfortune. His father angered the Penguin, forcing Tim to seek the Dark Knight's help via the former Robin, Jason Todd, who helped save his family and became his friend before dying tragically at the hands of the Joker. When the Penguin discovered the family, killed his mother and crippled his father, Tim was taken in by Bruce Wayne and finds himself taking over the Robin identity in the anarchy of the new world. Extremely intelligent and personable, Tim befriends Superboy and Impulse, making him one of the few people who can focus the two towards following Nightwing's orders.

* Justice League members do appear in flashbacks, but mostly in civilian identities.
* Other characters who may appear: Blue Beetle, Wondergirl, Batgirls, Aqualad, Arrowette, Artemis, etc.
* Relatively serious, but definite humor derived from character interactions. Think Arrow with some of Supernatural's humor.
* Guest stars and new actors a major part of the show's formula, as various heroes and villains.
* Arrow is this show's past, so Thea or Roy may make an appearance as grown up heroes. The LOA exists here as well, though it is split between Nyssa, Dusan, and Talia, the latter of whom is forming Leviathan.
* Most expensive costumes: Robin, Impulse, and Nightwing.

Again, this is all my ideal situation with a probably inflated budget, but what do you guys think? And what's your ideas?

 

[KnightGambit]

I happen to like Kalduron's Aqualad.....