Did You Hear? is a weekly examination of headlines in the entertainment industry and a take on what they could mean for the future of the industry and (often), the little geeky bubble that we occupy!
The CW Announces Early Renewals
In a press release sent on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022, the CW announced they will be renewing their entire
Arrowverse slate for another year. Early in February we wrote about The Flash’s Grant Gustin new deal to put the yellow boots on for another season.
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Shows renewed include: All American, The Flash, Kung Fu, Nancy Drew, Riverdale, Superman & Lois, and Walker.
Supernatural Returning to the CW
The CW juggernaut show Supernatural may have ended, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. The network has previously announced a prequel series called The Wincesters and this week Variety announced the lead parts of Mary Campbell and John Wincester have been cast.
Actors Meg Donnelly (High School Musical: The Musical – The Series), and Drake Rodger (The Inbetween), are set to play the parents of the popular Wincester brother who led the original Supernatural series.
Per Variety: 
“Mary is 19 years old and has been fighting the forces of darkness since she was a child. After losing someone close to her, the hardened hunter considers quitting the family business — until her father’s disappearance and the arrival of newcomer John forces her to lead a new team.
John has recently returned from Vietnam. Selfless and clear headed, he finds a new mission back home, where traces of his father’s past lead him to a secret organization and a whole new war as a hunter.
Actor Jensen Ackles (who played Dean Wincester in Supernatural and is also known for providing the voice of Jason Todd in the DC Original Animated Movie Under the Red Hood), will narrate his parents’ love story marrying the old and the new Supernatural mythology.
Fans are currency debating across social media whether The Wincesters is going to be closer in tone to the show it spins directly out of or whether it is going to adopt more of a Riverdale approach.
Gotham Knights Casts Supernatural Alum
Supernatural is all over the news this week. On Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022 (following the press release of the renewal slate), actor Misha Collins – who played fan favourite Castiel on Supernatural – was announced to be playing Harvey Dent in the upcoming Gotham Knights television series.
This is the first casting announcement for a non-legacy character.
In our previous Did You Hear? coverage of Gotham Knights we reported on the casting of Olivia Rose Keegan (High School Musical: The Musical – the Series), as Duela – the daughter of Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Note Keegan and Donnelley (mentioned above), are alumna of the same show.
Per Variety:
Collins will play District Attorney Harvey Dent in the project, which is based on DC Comics characters. In DC canon, Dent is known for later turning into the Batman villain Two-Face.
Per the official description for the “Gotham Knights” character, “Dashing, with a swagger, Harvey Dent is Gotham’s charismatic, hard-charging District Attorney. With a rigid sense of right and wrong, Harvey’s idealism and single-minded quest for justice will ironically and tragically transform him into one of Gotham’s most feared supervillains, Two-Face.
What is interesting about the description above is they do mention Two-Face, but do not specify weather or not Collins will take on the rogues gallery persona. Personally, I would suspect Collins will be Harvey Dent for the first season of Gotham Knights and then at the end of the first season of the beginning of Gotham Knights’ second season the accident will happen and the new villain emerge. Thus, allowing the younger series leads to be established in the first season.
The day his casting was announced Collins, himself, took to Twitter to embrace his new role:
Misha Collins on Twitter: “I’ve asked if my version of the character could be wearing a beige trench coat over the grey suit. (I’m just not sure I’ll be comfortable in front of a camera without one.) #newTVgig #GothamKnights pic.twitter.com/a5F1EFnjzX / Twitter”
I’ve asked if my version of the character could be wearing a beige trench coat over the grey suit. (I’m just not sure I’ll be comfortable in front of a camera without one.) #newTVgig #GothamKnights pic.twitter.com/a5F1EFnjzX
Voltron Coming to Live Action
Where are my Voltron: Legendary Defender fans at? If, like myself, you’ve been missing the lions have no fear – they are coming to live action! The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Wednesday that Skyscraper and Red Notice director Rawson Marshall Thurber would direct.
Has Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson been announced as Lotar? NOT YET!
A bidding war has erupted in Hollywood over Voltron, the mecha anime featuring a giant robot that has amassed a popular following worldwide.
THR reported, which many folks on social media think speaks to the popularity of the modern day Netflix series. Sparking debate amongst others who think it is Thurber’s pedigree which has raised the property’s profile. Given both Voltron and Thurber’s success at the streaming giant Netflix, I feel it would be strange to see the live action movie go to a different studio.
Per THR:
Warner Bros., Universal and Amazon are among the six or seven studios and streamers in the mix for the package, according to sources. Netflix, which was behind Red Notice and streamed the animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender, is not in the running, say sources.
Ellen Shanman is set to co-script along side Thurber with Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, and Bob Koplar to produce. Koplar is from World Event Productions – which current owns Voltron. Live action Voltron adaptations have been in some form of development for 20+ years and this appears to be the closest we have come so far!
Kevin Eastman Returns with New Series
Along with the CW, TMNT’s Kevin Eastman also sent a press release about an exciting new series this week. Read the full release below:
Biz and Buzz is an insanely creative new animated series, from manic masterminds and comic book legends Kevin Eastman and Simon Bisley, and Bafta award winning UK animation studio, Factory.
Currently in development at Factory’s studio in the North West of England, the show features the mis-adventures of Kevin and Simon’s alter-egos, Biz and Buzz, on the road to success, where even the simplest job is a gateway to epic lunacy!
Kevin Eastman is globally respected as the co-creator of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the most successful franchises in the history of the entertainment industry, and publisher of Heavy Metal Magazine, and his partner in crime Simon Bisley is one of the world’s best renowned comic artists with work in thousands of publications including Batman, Lobo, Judge Dredd, and Heavy Metal.
Based on not-so-true stories from the world-famous dynamic duo, this will be the show that gets the gang back together.
In this ever-changing world, it’s tough to make ends meet. Everyone needs a job and Biz & Buzz are the best at doing the worst jobs available. Armed with their trusty van, Avenger face masks and a couple of big hearts, these regular joes will do anything to pay the rent and keep their dream alive: become the best back-up band in the world!
From their rented lair under the stairs of the Grand Hotel, these oblivious heroes are ready to take on the world with everything they’ve got and tackle every twist and turn life throws their way – eating, sleeping, working, aliens, mutants, zombies, and even a real girl.
“Working with Phil and the team at Factory to bring Biz & Buzz into media and beyond is a dream come true,” says Kevin Eastman, President of Kevin Eastman Studios. “Phil’s expertise and innovative production is the absolute best way to launch the property with something creatively exciting and different. With all the wild and wacky adventures Biz & Buzz get themselves into, anything can happen.”
The show will be exec produced by Factory MD Phil Chalk, the driving force behind the prolific multi-genre studio which has produced over 90 hours of multi-award-winning content, across 20 high profile multiple series and specials productions, including Newzoids (ITV), Clangers (CBeebies), Scream Street (CBBC), Club Penguin (Disney), Norman Picklestripes (NBC Universal) and Sir Michael Morpurgo’s Mimi and the Mountain Dragon (BBC One).
Phil Chalk comments: “Factory has worked with some of the world’s best renowned studios and broadcasters over the years, and being part of the development of Biz and Buzz feels like the creative opportunity we’ve been building to.
“We’re drawing on all our animation skills and experience, in both kids and adult comedy, to do brilliant, hilarious justice to Kevin and Simon’s characters.”
