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CW tap the Graysons to follow Smallville?
CW is really getting on board with these teen dramas, including Gossip Girl and 90210. And of course Smallville has been on the air for eight seasons, combining the best of the teen dramas with a little bit of superhero flavor. But Smallville is nearing the end of its run, and according to an article in Variety CW has set their eyes on a potential followup focused on Robin.
In the one-hour "Graysons," which will be set in modern times, young Dick "DJ" Grayson will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up. Smallville executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson have come up with an original take on the character prior to his joining Batman as Robin. McG (of The OC and Chuck production fame) has also been attached.
It seems that the show will start out on the net and could possibly move to television to either replace Smallville when it ends it's run or as a followup in the hour after. This isn't the first time Warner Brothers have focused on the Batman canon on television, as there was the short-lived Birds of Prey that debuted in 2002 featuring a group of female superheros saving Gotham City while Batman was away.
Robin has always been a hit or miss character. Personally, I think the show may work because its a fresh take on the character of Dick Grayson, and there's the potential for his eventual progression into Nightwing. Although I'm not sure how they're going to focus on him as Robin without having Batman in the show at some point, and if so how much should he be in there? You can't really have Robin just fighting crime without Batman.
CW getting show based on the Graysons
Like it or not, Robin is part of the Batman mythos-The problem is Robin doesn't have the kind of mystique that Batman does and as a result he suffers in comparison...He is usually depicted as more well adjusted than Batman and more able to work through some of his trauma which, let's face it, makes him a more admirable guy, but does little for his cool factor
ReplyDeleteI don't know that Batman needs to make an appearance in particular in an ongoing "Graysons" series-THE IDEA that Batman/Wayne might make an appearance or that he might show up in the series finale six or seven years from now might drive the show for a long time (as the idea that Clark Kent will become the Man of Steel in some grand Smallville finale has kept this series going far beyond its expiration date)
-My guess is that WB might be trying to make the idea of having a Robin in a Christian Bale movie an agreeable one for the fanboys who grew up hating Chris O'Donnell's rather (ahem) ambiguous portrayal of the boy wonder...As with some of Marvel's arbitrary moves, I think WB is hoping the interest will outweigh concerns of establishing "continuity" in having this kind of program connect to the popularity of the dark knight-Let's face it, whatever happens with DK 3 or whatever there has to be some relief (that is why the two villans most mentioned for the potential third film represent sex (Catwoman) and humor (The Riddler)-There is no way that I can see them dredging up Two-Face (his story was the tragedy of that film and his story went through a complete arc-Harvey Dent's saga is complete)
If Warner's were smart they would use some sort of offbeat casting with Robin (make him Oriental for instance or a young woman)-this might help fanboys re-think their pre-conceptions of this underappreciated character