In September we reported that TNT was busy developing a television series based on DC Comics’ Teen Titans for their network. Since that time there has been little heard about the show, while it quietly goes through the pre-production development process. Today there was some exciting news uncovered that gives us a better look at the roles and the show’s overall approach.
Titans is being brought to television by Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), whose Oscar is balanced out by the dubious distinction of being the screenwriter of Batman & Robin. The movie that single-handedly sunk the Batman film franchise for eight years. So there are reasons to be excited and cause to be skeptical about the new show.
The series will follow Dick Grayson who has moved to Boston to become a police officer. In the comics, Gotham City seems like a twisted reflection of New York. Likewise, Nightwing’s city of Bludhaven seemed to be the East Coast substitute for Boston. The unexpected part about the setup is that he will still be known as Robin at the beginning of the pilot. He will go on to adopt the Nightwing moniker and identity, within the show’s timeline.
His career as a detective has precedence in the comics and it seems like a natural fit for TNT to add procedural elements to the show, since they are the home of Law & Order reruns. His transition into his own identity as Nightwing should be fertile ground for good character development as well. Watching Grayson grow from the sidekick into the leader of his own team, should make for entertaining television if handled correctly.
The biggest surprise addition to the cast is Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl. They will be following the comic book storyline where she has been crippled and goes by the name Oracle. She serves as the information specialist and watchful eyes. Think of her like Jarvis in Marvel’s Iron Man. What isn’t clear is if they will be following the origin of Oracle in which she is paralyzed by a bullet to the back from the Joker. This is yet another strong link to the Batman universe and it seems that they will be mining a lot of the relationships from that world. Hopefully that means we can get Jim Gordon to guest star at some point.
Some familiar faces will be filling out the cast, while there are other popular members who didn’t make the cut. Hawk and Dove will be joining the team as well. This will be the version that features Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, who are expected to be in a relationship. This couple is expected to undergo the most radical changes of the core characters on the show.
Raven and Starfire make an appearance at the very end of the pilot. Raven will go by her recent Rachel Roth incarnation, while it is unclear how much of Starfire’s alien lineage will be included in the show. It seems fitting to introduce them in a button scene and gradually explore their complex backstories and powers, over a few episodes. Fans will be dismayed to hear that Cyborg and Beast Boy will not appear in the pilot. That doesn’t bar either from appearing or joining the cast at a later date. However, it is being speculated that Cyborg is being kept in the cinematic universe exclusively, much like Batman and Superman.
Nerdist’s Jessica Chobot mentions that TNT and CW are owned by the same parent company, which should make a crossover with other DC Comics’ shows such as Arrow and The Flash possible. It would be a natural fit for characters, such as Arsenal, to guest star and become honorary members. The opportunities are practically endless and suddenly the wisdom of having separate TV and film DC universes becomes clear.
The television schedule will get more cluttered with superhero shows this fall. It is yet to be seen what kind of budget and scope TNT can handle in its first attempt in the comic book genre. There should be more details coming and we will be sure to be on top of the casting as candidates for Nightwing and Oracle come in.
Do you like the lineup as it stands now? What about Nightwing’s set up? Let us know on , , , and Reddit!
Source: Nerdist Art by: Deadwade11.deviantart.com