CW’s latest DC show, Gotham Knights, has cast three new actors in lead roles. Gotham Knights is the newest Batman-related spinoff from Batwoman‘s Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Natalie Abrams. It focuses on a “Gotham City reeling from the murder of Bruce Wayne” which has his “rebellious adopted son form an alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they’re all framed for killing the Caped Crusader.” The show is not a spinoff of Batwoman, nor does it have any relation to the upcoming videogame of the same name, which also features Batman-related characters.
Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions will act as producers for the new show, with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden executive producing the pilot with Danny Cannon, who will also serve as director. The show has already cast two actors, including Tyler DiChiara and Fallon Smythe, who will play siblings Cullen and Harper Row, respectively. Harper Row is also known as Bluebird, who first appeared in Scott Snyder’s run on Batman as an ally. The other characters in the series will also pull from DC mythology but will do so with both big and small changes.
Three more actors have been cast (per THR) as leads for the series, including Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson. Morgan is set to play a new character named Turner Hayes, whom Bruce Wayne adopted after the boy’s parents were murdered, a similar story to many Robins of the past. Keegan will play Duela, the “unpredictable daughter of the most dangerous man in Gotham,” who is known for her brutality and thievery skills. Lastly, Robinson will play Carrie Kelley, who is best known as Robin from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. The descriptions show that Gotham Knights is very much creating its own mythology and continuity out of both known and unknown characters within the DC universe, deviating from the shared universe aspect of other CW shows.
Currently, the CW is up for sale, which puts many of their shows in a state of uncertainty. The Flash is expected to be renewed for a ninth (and likely final season), while other Arrowverse shows have recently closed up shop, including Supergirl, Black Lightning, and the flagship series, Arrow. There is still Superman & Lois, Naomi, Batwoman, Stargirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. However, it remains unclear as to what the sale of CW may mean for these shows given the lack of profitability and the end of their Netflix streaming deal.
Gotham Knights is an ambitious project given that it’s yet another attempt to reinvent known characters in a new light and in a new continuity. With so many Batman properties already doing this, however, it may be a bridge too far for audiences seeking more streamlined and interconnected adaptations. Matt Reeves’ The Batman has already started off a new cinematic Bat-Verse (including a spinoff with The Penguin show and another featuring the GCPD), while the DCEU will continue to weave its own separate interconnected narrative. Titans on HBO Max plays in its own Bat-sandbox and that’s not to mention shows like Pennyworth or Gotham, which also have taken their own crack at the Batman mythos. With so many Batman-themed shows fighting for viewers’ attention, Gotham Knights will face an uphill battle to break through, assuming the pilot gets a series order.
What The CW’s Sale Would Mean For The Arrowverse’s Future
Source: THR
Go to Source
Author: Paul Shirey
