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!
Charlize Theron to Direct Aqualad Origin for HBO Max
Variety announced earlier this week that DC Kids’ Aqualad origin story, You Brought Me the Ocean is in
development for a full series with Charliez Theron slated to helm the project from the director’s seat.
If there was any doubt the Discovery merger was going to shake things up over at Warner Media we are definitely seeing the effects this week! Whether or not these projects were greenlit before the merger and need to be put in production before rebranding or if this slough of announcements is a smoke screen for something else it certainly has given us a lot to write and chat about at Major Spoilers!
Per Variety:
The live-action, one-hour dramedy is based on characters from DC and the graphic novel by Alex Sanchez and Jul Maroh. The series will explore the life of Jackson “Jake” Hyde, a gay teenager living in New Mexico. All his life, he has had a strange attraction to the water and yearns to escape his desert surroundings for the ocean. As he explores his abilities, including breathing under and controlling water, he also finds himself falling in love with his classmate, high school swim captain Kenny Liu.
As someone who has read You Brought Me the Ocean, it is a strong choice from the DC Kids catalogue to develop into an Arrowverse-style streaming show. This could also herald the on screen adaptation of more DC Kids graphic novels. For years on and off the Major Spoilers Podcast I have said these books are the most interesting work coming out of DC Comics and it is exciting to see other arms of the media company coming around to the same realization.
No writer has been announced for You Brought Me the Ocean at this time.
Iron Heart Announces Producer and Directors
Ryan Coogler may not be directing or writing Iron Heart, but his pedigree will touch the upcoming Marvel Studios
series which this week Variety revealed has tapped his production company, Proximity, for. Proximity co-founders Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian will also serve as executive producers. Alongside Proximity Iron Heart has tapped two powerful directors: Sam Bailey (Dear White People, The Chi, Grown-ish), and Angela Barnes (Blindspotting, Mythic Quest, Atlanta). Bailey and Barnes joined series head writer Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer).
Marvel Studios is pulling directors with a lot of good work on their back to compliment a very talented cast.
Iron Heart is set post Riri Williams’ introduction in the upcoming Wakanda: Forever movie. Williams will be played by Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah), alongside other series cast: Anthony Ramos (In The Heights), and Lyric Ross (This Is Us).
The more we learn about Iron Heart the more stacked it appears!
Dead Boy Detectives Headed to HBO Max
Neil Gaiman’s Dead Boy Detectives – which spins out of his iconic Sandman universe – has received a series order at the streaming service HBO Max, according to Variety.
The show is described as a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace.
The pilot was initially ordered last October with a full eight episode order coming through this week.
Said pilot scribe Steve Yockey:
“I’ve been obsessed with this comic for a long time, so it’s a true passion project. And Jeremy, Berlanti Productions, DC, WBTV, HBO Max — they’re all encouraging me to run with every wild, bizarre, and unsettling choice. The result is going to be really dark fun.”
Dead Boy Detectives joins other Gaiman projects developed for television including: Bad Omens, American Gods, Lucifer, The Sandman, and Anansi Boys all in various stages of production.
Casper the Friendly Ghost Live Action Series Heading to Peacock
Variety has reported fans of the 1995 film Casper the Friendly Ghost are going to wan to hop over to Peacock for the latest live action project the sweet little comic book ghost has under his see-through tail.
Dreamwork animation is slated to co-produce along with The Flash scribe Kai Yu Wu to serve as executive producer. Wu not only understand the balance of VFX and live action from her time in the Arrowverse, but has also created a series before – Netflix’s The Ghost Bride.
The series is described as a horror/adventure show that reimagines the origin of Casper in a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be alive. When a new family arrives in the small town of Eternal Falls, Casper finds himself entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years.
… according to Variety.
No word yet on how many episodes and whether or not the order extends beyond a pilot.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis Shifts to June Release
Following in the steps of WB Theatrical, WB Home Entertainment is pushing back the home release of Aquaman: King of Atlantis to June of this year they announced in the press release yesterday:
Monstrous creatures, devious foes and incredible underwater adventures populate Aquaman: King of Atlantis, an action-packed mini-series now coming to Digital and DVD (USA $14.99 SRP; Canada $19.99 SRP) as a feature-length animated film on June 21, 2022 courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the mini-series premiered on HBO Max on October 14 to rave reviews from both critics and fans alike. James Wan (Aquaman) served as executive producer through his Atomic Monster production company on this playful reimagining of the iconic DC Super Hero and tells an original tale about Aquaman’s first adventures as King of Atlantis.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis begins with Aquaman starting his first day on the job as king of Atlantis – and he’s got a lot of catching up to do. Luckily, he has his two royal advisors to back him up: the scholar Vulko, and Mera, the water controlling warrior princess. Between dealing with unscrupulous surface dwellers, elder evils from beyond time and his own half-brother who wants to overthrow him, Aquaman must rise to the challenge nd prove to his subjects – and to himself – that he’s the true heir to the throne, and holder of the trident!”
The stated reason for the move is “visibility” although fans are already speculating many of the recent WB shifts have had to do with the Discovery merger.
