Earlier this week, a previously unseen pilot for an "Aquaman" TV series debuted on iTunes, and the show immediately became the website's most-downloaded video, Apple said.
The TV pilot was created by screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who launched the popular "Superman"-inspired series "Smallville." The "Aquaman" series was initially conceived as a Warner Bros. Television production for the WB network, which has merged with UPN into the new CW network.
The pilot stars Justin Hartley as Arthur "AC" Curry, a young environmental activist grappling with his fledgling responsibilities as the prince of the lost city of Atlantis, shrouded in the Bermuda Triangle. Like the comic book character, Aquaman can breathe underwater — he possesses preternatural power when wet, which diminishes as he dries off.
"For whatever reason, they ultimately decided not to pick it up," says Gough of CW's response to the pilot. "The pilot may not be perfect, but you can certainly see a series there."
You can also see potential audience interest. When Aquaman made a cameo on "Smallville" last season, it was the season's highest-rated episode.
Gough says he is nevertheless pleased that Warners gave his and Millar's pilot to iTunes. In addition to generating thousands of downloads, the pilot also is attracting strong feedback within the industry, enough that Gough holds out slim hope that it could attract enough Internet interest to revive "Aquaman" as a TV series.
