When NBC was first planning on bringing ‘Powerless‘ to the small screen it was about an insurance company that dealt with the aftermath of minor DC heroes without mentioning the big names. Now we’ve learned why the series has switched to being a Wayne Security company which will name drop the likes of Batman and more. Some of the details came up at the recent Television Critics Association winter press tour though it all began when Ben Queen dropped out of being the series showrunner and was replaced with Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker.
But how did things go from having minor characters like Crimson Fox and Jack-o-Lantern being the main faces that would pop up to taking place in a company owned by Bruce Wayne?
According to Schumacker:
“About 15 weeks into this, we decided that the insurance company angle wasn’t really generating the type of stories that we wanted to be telling.”
He and Halpern wanted to go a different route so spoke with DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns to find a way that they could “tell classic workplace comedy stories but in a way that kind of activates the DC universe a little bit more.”
Thus, Alan Tudyk was able to say that:
“I wasn’t a Wayne before and now I am; totally better. It really ties into the superhero world.”
Now playing a distant cousin to Bruce, this Van Wayne runs Wayne Security which is, of course, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises. The tie-ins are more obvious right from the get go.
While Schumacker added that “It came about because there’s obviously a lot of recognition with the Wayne name. It is ultimately Bruce Wayne’s company,” Halpern stressed that the series would not be focussing on Bruce:
“We make it a point not to use Batman and Bruce Wayne as a crutch. We don’t lean into that past the pilot that much.”
As the series will take place in Charm City and not Gotham it is doubtful that we’ll see a need for the Caped Crusader to show up all that often. For continuity purposes, the series will not take place in the realm of the DC movies or the other current TV shows that were born from ‘Arrow’ and instead takes place on “Earth-P.” That being said, they have found a way to “poke fun at the Batman-Superman films” which could be worth the price of admission for that reason alone.
When it comes to actually seeing the main 7 characters from the Justice League though Schumacker stated that “They’re not going to make appearances. They do exist in this world. We reference them all the time.” That makes me wonder if we actually will be seeing Batman in the pilot as it sounded above or if the Dark Knight would just be heavily referenced.
To be honest, I think the new direction for the show and the ability to name check more characters gives it a lot more potential.
What are your thoughts on ‘Powerless’ Do you feel that the Wayne connection was the right route to go? Share your thoughts below!
‘Powerless’ is set to premiere on Thursday, February 2nd, 2017 at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
