TNT Eyes ‘Titans’ Superhero Series

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Whitney Friedlander
News Editor
@loislane79
TNT is getting into the superhero game, as the cable channel and Warner Bros. are nearing a deal on a pilot production order for “Titans,” a one-hour live-action drama based on younger characters in the WB-owned DC Comics universe.

Focusing on known names (at least to comicbook fans), the show would center on Dick Grayson, the former Robin who emerges from Batman’s shadow to become Nightwing and the leader of a fearless band of heroes who include Starfire and Raven. Scribes Akiva Goldsman (“Batman Forever”) and Marc Haimes (“The Last Word”) will serve as exec producer and co-exec producer, respectively, with Warner Horizon Television producing.

Shows based on comicbook characters are en vogue right now, given the popularity of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD” and the CW’s “Arrow.” Three other shows based on DC characters are launching this fall: “The Flash” on the CW, “Constantine” on NBC and “Gotham” on Fox. This deal is somewhat apropos, though, as DC Comics has a character named TNT. Known for his — ahem — explosive personality traits and radioactive powers, the character was popular after World War II.

Goldsman is repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson. Haimes is repped by WME and Management 360.

The animated series “Teen Titans,” which also focused on these characters, previously aired on Cartoon Network and the WB. “Teen Titans Go!” began airing in 2013 on Cartoon Network.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/titans- ... 201303968/

[helstar]

This will cost them half a fortune in FX ... assuming they recreate even 50% of their powers ^^

[Visitor]

FX has gotten cheaper and the Flash series is looking at over 100 in just the pilot.

I'm more worried about decent scripts.

[helstar]

But you don't have a little green guy who can turn into every single animal out there

Morph & start animating each different one of them ... add also the other superheroes (the two girls mostly), and it's headache time for the production team ^^

If they go for "let's include all of their features" I'll be the first one to be happy eh ! But I'm a little bit sceptic, that's all :V

[shevek]

Just heard about this from a Twitter post at Super Geeked Up (credit where it's due).
I am losing my fucking mind with happiness. Apparently Geoff Johns is writing it (he and Jon Berg are in charge of supervising the DC film universe).

Here's what we know so far. All I can say is this better not be some wishful thinking.......read on......and think about whom you would cast for this!

http://titanstv.net/titans-live-action- ... s-surface/
http://thathashtagshow.com/2017/06/excl ... cs-titans/

That Hashtag Show apparently has casting breakdowns for the four leads of the upcoming Titans show for DC’s streaming service. Of course, the character breakdowns have fake names, but we all know who they are. (If you don’t, John Crossland = Dick Grayson, Sarah = Raven, Casey = Starfire, Jax = Beast Boy).

Already this is sounding so much better than the first iteration of the project…

[John Crossland] Male, late 20s-early 30s, Caucasian. Equal parts charm and impenetrability, John is a cop. He has a nice smile, tired eyes and a cool, distant manner. However, when provoked, his eyes are so lethal “they drain a man of every last bit of spleen.” John is haunted by the murder of his family. Unbeknownst to those around him, he is also a vigilante. In the shadows, he fights with the commitment and conviction of an artist, the brutal grace of a dancer. Mentally and physically, he is covered in a map of scars. And though he fights to escape his past, it is often a losing battle…SERIES LEAD

[SARAH] Female, Mid teens, Open Ethnicity. Troubled, bullied, often scared but unwilling to show it, Sarah is a loner more comfortable hiding in her hoodie than making friends. Haunted by a dark force inside her, Sarah experiences violent episodes that she cannot understand or control. She is also plagued by recurring nightmares that lead her across the country in search of help…SERIES REGULAR

[Casey] Female, 20s, Open ethnicity. Casey is a tall, stunning woman, her beauty so magnificent it’s almost inhuman. Elegant, refined and mysterious, she is on the hunt to discover who is trying to kill her and why. And those after her are in for a surprise because she’s more deadly than anyone they’ve ever encountered…SERIES REGULAR

[JAX] Male, Mid-late teens, Open Ethnicity, Asian preferred. Funny and charming, this amateur thief’s humor hides his insecurities and past pain. Not the toughest kid on the streets, he’s learned to survive in the world with his wit and quick-thinking…SERIES REGULAR

TITANS FILMING NOW SET FOR TORONTO
JUNE 21, 2017 NIGHTWING LEAVE A COMMENT
It was earlier reported that Titans would begin shooting September 25 in Atlanta, Georgia… now, it seems there has been a change of plans.

Newer production listings still see Titans lensing on September 25, but the filming location is now Toronto, Canada.

With Black Lightning already scheduled to be shooting in Atlanta, and every other DC show filming in Vancouver, perhaps a different location is a good thing that will allow a new talent pool of actors to appear on the show.

Toronto is currently home to some genre shows including Freeform’s Shadowhunters so this should work out well, if Toronto is indeed the Titans’ destination.

[shevek]

You guys been following this news?

They've already cast 14-yr-old Teagan Croft as Raven and 24-yr-old Anna Diop (black) as Starfire.
First live-action appearances for either of the characters. Series set to debut in 2018.

[helstar]

Wow that's a great news, i thought they had scrapped this serie a while ago and now this !

[Night_Lantern]

This is excellent news! Glad the series appears to be moving forward!

[batgirl1969]

Awesome!!! So glad I "am Raven"!!! I may need to change my name and avatar...just wish she would have been 18+
But now maybe people will know the character that isnt a titans or DC fan...

[shevek]

"In April 2017, Warner Bros. announced that Titans would debut in 2018 on DC's own direct-to-consumer digital service. The series is being developed by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, with Goldsman, Johns and Berlanti writing the pilot episode; all are also executive producers of the series for Weed Road Pictures and Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television. Titans will follow Dick Grayson as he leads Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and others.[80] Filming for the series is expected to start in September. [81] Teagan Croft and Anna Diop will star as Raven and Starfire, respectively."

I don't think Raven's been 18+ in almost any of the Titans animated stuff except the recent mature one with Titans vs. the Justice League.
Even some of the Raven mini-series that DC has put out over the years (at least the two most recent ones I read) depict her as being the emo/goth freak of her high school. Even though she was clearly an adult in the George Perez era.

IMHO this Titans series if done right could be huge, possibly bigger than any of the CW shows!

[Night_Lantern]

Some more exciting news out of Titans: Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) has been cast as Dove. She should look amazing in a superheroine outfit!

http://deadline.com/2017/09/titans-mink ... 202163720/

[shevek]

Some more exciting news out of Titans: Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) has been cast as Dove. She should look amazing in a superheroine outfit!

http://deadline.com/2017/09/titans-mink ... 202163720/

Been collecting a lot of the Barbara & Karl Kesel Hawk & Dove series (the first with Dawn Granger as Dove) from a shop that's selling them three-for-a-dollar. And of course the newer Rob Liefeld version is good too. Such a crush on Dove it's not even funny! This will indeed be awesome, especially if that costume is faithful to those books (it's essentially unchanged for 20+ years)..hope she's a regular and doesn't just guest in a couple episodes.

[shevek]

Looks like the shooting of Titans Seasons 1 is almost done except for a few parts they're fixing up. Minka Kelly apparently posted photos from the set where she's lounging around (not in the Dove costume). The new skinny is that there's swearing in this (I saw an enacted scene with a 'fuck' in it) so it's at least PG-13 or maybe cable-style R.

[helstar]

To say i'm a little bit perplexed is an understatement...

[Night_Lantern]

The latest costume pics do not fill me with confidence. Up to now, I had a good feeling about this show. But now...yeesh. Starfire looks terrible. Like something from a Halloween shop. Not a costume designer. Beast Boy also doesn’t look great. We’ll see though in a few months I guess...

[SexualSocialist]

I haven't seen much comments on this. But, the this show is amazing

[helstar]

A looooooooot more bleak and violent than expected... it's like, the exact opposite of the cartoon ^^;

How many episodes or seasons until Starfire ends up in the iconic costume ? (ok i'm kidding eh !)

[Night_Lantern]

The show is a disaster. Best parts have been Dick and Beast Boy so far (even if Beast Boy really could be known as “tiger boy” to this point) but they’ve completely messed up Starfire and Raven in DC’s endless quest to matter by being “dark and cool and shit”. Way too violent and foul-mouthed to the point it is distracting. I’m okay with a bit of blood and swearing but when it’s every other line and scene, it actually takes away from the show for me and actually feels unnatural for these characters in the first place. It’s also got an offbeat tone ripped from Fox’s Gotham, which I know a lot of people liked but did not appeal to me. I’m giving it till the end of the season before I decide if I want to keep going with it. But the praise for it simply baffles me to this point.

[helstar]

New entry

[brdiy]

Donna Troy looks cute. I hope they show her in costume (why is it that only Robin gets to wear one?)

[shevek]

Well, the good news is she does look like the spitting image of Donna Troy from the comics. But again, the lack of costumes (except for Robin, Hawk and Dove?) is a big turnoff. Donna's Wonder Girl costume was gorgeous and a big influence on my continued purchases of Perez's Titans in my youth. Even as Troia she looked great. I don't see any of that here.

Also does Starfire act at all like she's an alien..or is she even from another planet in this version? Is there any hope they will somehow unveil all of the costumes by the end of the first season?

[Night_Lantern]

Starfire is from another planet but she doesn’t know her own history yet and may not uncover the whole truth for some time. When we meet her in the pilot, she doesn’t remember who she is or how she got where she is. She’s just wearing that sad excuse for a costume and is on the run from some bad dudes. Oh and she kills people without remorse. Not exactly how I picture Starfire.

And as far as I can tell, the show has no plans to put anyone in costume yet except for Robin and Hawk and Dove (though they are recurring rather than regulars). The actress playing Donna Troy does look good though...so one can hope...

[Night_Lantern]

Just watched the latest episode, “Donna Troy”, and I’ve got to say it was the series’ best so far. Lots of nice teases of the larger DC world in this one while the gritty tone takes a backseat for once. And Conor Leslie is excellent as Donna though she has hung up the costume for the time being. She did say that it is still in her closet...so one can hope she may slip back into it at some point. Really hope she gets a bigger role as the season progresses.

[brdiy]

The actress was listed as a guest star, so she's a recurring actress at best, which is sad.

Also, Donna Troy said she stopped being Wonder Girl, which is also sad. Dick Grayson just burned his costume, and Hawk and Dove have been planning to retire as well, meaning this could very well be another costumeless superhero show.

[shevek]

OK ...I watched almost this entire series in the past four days, so that you don't need to waste your time with anything unnecessary. The only episode I skipped was Episode 5 because the synopsis said Dick Grayson was training the others how to use their powers better, and none of them had a decent costume, so I figured why bother to watch a training session. If you want to watch Titans, then here are the main candidate episodes of interest in Season 1:

2 - the introduction of Hawk & Dove. Minka Kelly is super sexy, both in and out of costume. She also has a beautifully silky voice.
Another thing about this series is that they don't go light on the violence on female characters here. Dove takes a serious hit.
And for the ladies (and gay men) who like to see dudes strung up in peril, there's a bit of that with Hawk. Most of all, Hank and Dawn have a tumultuous and sexy relationship which plays well on the screen.

4 - Doom Patrol. Just for the sheer Retro Silver Age fun of it (which is what this episode feels like, straight out of the 60s).
The Patrol characters are all portrayed well, very true to the comics. Some viewers, however, may be taken aback by the ugliness inherent in this version of Rita Farr (Elasti-Girl) but then again it's nice to see characters with serious flaws. Damn
straight these folks deserve their own series, and I'm glad they're getting it.

then move along to...

7 - The episode takes place almost entirely in an asylum where Dick, Kory, Rachel and Gar are all being tortured. To me, this premise seems way too similar to both previous depictions of Arkham (in the Gotham show?) and especially the Slabside Level 2 stuff in Arrow. Nonetheless it's pretty intense. If you're looking for superheroine peril this contains the single best sequence: Kory is tied down on a lab table in the tight shiny purple pantsuit (the closest she'll probably ever get to a costume), poked and prodded and intubated and about to be cut open with a scalpel. So get some screen captures of that if you like. It's also noteworthy for meeting Raven's mother, Angela, who as a character is rather milquetoast. I would have preferred the dark-haired, milfy version of Arella from the comics, but whatever.

8 - Donna Troy! Played by Conor Leslie, who was the super hot computer avatar from the Yahoo sci-fi series Other Space.
She is gorgeous, and the action sequences with her are cool. Also here we get as close as the series gets (which is otherwise almost completely politics-free) to a political statement with a bit of an anti-poaching message, but it's really very fleeting.
Anyway, just hearing Conor talk about being a sidekick for 'Diana', and how she still has the Wonder Girl costume in her closet, will give you nostalgic chills as you try to imagine her wearing that tight red-and-yellow suit. Alas, she never brings it out.

9 - Hawk & Dove origin. Great! It starts out with the Hank and Don Hall story (motivated to become heroes, in this case, by child predators) but quickly moves along to where Dawn comes into the picture. The sexiest moment of the series comes when Dawn
disrobes completely (she is frontally nude, but hidden in shadow at that point) and initiates lovemaking with Hank. These two have good chemistry, and this should really just be the pilot for their own series. Let's hope.

10 - Kory figures out who she is. This is a major wasted opportunity, possibly constrained by budgetary concerns but I'm not sure. They have enough CGI money to make her entire spaceship materialize in a warehouse, and then enough set-design funds
to create an entire ship interior complete with rotating hologram displays and even a very short glimpse of Trigon's backside.
They also have enough paid creative-team members to generate a whole Tamaranean alphabet for prop documents (although I have no idea why they had to say it was an offshoot of Sumerian - if she's from another planet how does that even make sense?).
And yet with all that wonderment, they could not slip Anna Diop (who is quite beautiful and shapely, btw) into a proper tight Tamaranean battlesuit of some kind? i.e. an actual costume? This is one of the big fails of the series - making a super-powerful gorgeous alien heroine (who should be able to fly!) into a street hooker. Plus Trigon emerges. No red skin, no antlers, no three eyes, no cape or whatever. Just the ten billionth sinister-looking grey-haired white guy, whom you could interchange with Magneto or King Orm or Severus Snape, and nobody would notice.

Skip Episode 11. Most of it is a dream that Dick has, so it's irrelevant. All you need to know is that Trigon is about to take over the world, and he has Dick in his thrall. Season 2 will be about the Titans' battle against Trigon I would assume.

Some other interesting notes about the series:
- Raven's adoptive mom is played by Sherilyn Fenn from Twin Peaks.
- Dove's mother is played by Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: TNG.
- Robin burns his costume but Nightwing is never brought up. However in Episode 8, Donna makes a big 'CW nod' reference to Dick becoming 'someone else, something else' (unbeknownst, we did that too, in Heroineburgh Episode 12)..so hopefully he will become Nightwing (and wear the tight costume with the cute butt that the lady comic book readers seem to enjoy) in the second season.

I guess the biggest complaint people have about this series is how it doesn't present like the Teen Titans most people have grown up with. It's too foul-mouthed and violent, the origins are sometimes different, and there's a distinct lack of costuming. I'm not so worried about the first two reasons (I'm not a prude when it comes to language and violence, but that would of course limit its access to a younger audience), but the costume thing is perplexing. If they are spending the money that they do on the CGI effects, does it really cost that much more to provide all the characters with a real costume? How much could it possibly cost to fabricate real Beast Boy, Starfire and Wondergirl outfits? It just seems more lazy than cheap, really.

[helstar]

Starfire WILL be in a costume. But it probably won't be as good as we all hope...

[shevek]

Hard to tell, but are those seriously *velvet* boots? (somebody notify George Costanza)
Even if the costume looks that mediocre, why couldn't she have donned it when she was in the ship? Like..oh, look, here's this uniform in the closet that I found, I guess that's what I'm supposed to be wearing, let me put it on.

Still can't figure out if the excuse is cheapness or laziness. Could the reason, in fact, be a smidgen of PC reticence? In other words, the producers all know how incredibly gorgeous Starfire is supposed to look, and yet despite having plenty of profanity, sex and violence in their series, they are still tiptoeing around the idea of Anna Diop in any decent version of the comicbook-style costume because Male Gaze? Plus maybe they believe their costuming choice has been vindicated - sure, there was a huge initial backlash against the costume choice (and whenever that happens, of course, it's always the fault of the 'incels'), but these days if you look at Diop's twitter, every other retweet is Yass Queen Slay.

I mean, we're talking about Geoff Johns (who knows what every DC Comics character is supposed to look like) and Greg Berlanti (who usually does a pretty bang-up costuming job on all the CW shows). It's not rocket science. Imagine if they did a half-assed job on the main character's costume on any of the CW shows!

[brdiy]

Would have wanted a full body shot but I'll take this for now. Excited to see her in costume in the show.

[Night_Lantern]

I’m also beyond excited to see Wonder Girl suit up! She was a worthy addition to last season’s cast and glad she’s getting promoted to regular.

[wondergirlsupragirl]

Wonder Girl in costume, can't wait to see this!

[brdiy]