DC Universe, Warner Brothers’ new exclusive streaming service, launches this weekend and while it will be packed with DC’s dense library of films and TV shows, the real treat comes in a month when the first original series ‘Titans’ launches. Fans have been divided on this series since it was announced and the controversial and very explicit trailer that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con only helped to further polarize fandom as some loved the trailer and couldn’t wait to see more, while others were thrown off by the brutal violence (is Robin really gunning down his criminal prey?) and, of course, the salty line “F*** Batman” that was the most quoted to emerge at SDCC. As producer Geoff Johns stated, ‘Titans’ is “an opportunity do less of a conventional procedural show and more of a 12-hour movie. We could focus in more on character and push the envelope, in terms of content.”
And then there are the costumes. While Robin, Hawk, and Dove look pretty much the way that one would figure live action versions of these characters would, some are put off by the appearances of Starfire and Beast Boy, but rumor has it that their looks will evolve over time. Reportedly, Beast Boy will eventually have green skin, while Starfire’s gaudy 1970s garment and hairstyle are said to only appear in the pilot after she attended a disco themed party.
At any rate, while images have been released, this new one is the first in which we see all four of the core Titans together:
As Brenton Thwaites, who plays Robin/Dick Grayson said:
“My favorite scenes [were] fighting [alongside] those guys because, one, I feel like the actors that were cast were all brilliant and lovely to work with, and we all got along really well. But also, the scenes were quite difficult and [we had] night shoots in the winter in the snow, so I feel like that camaraderie just in the actors alone hopefully transfers to the TV.”
Joining Thwaites are Teagan Croft as Raven/Rachel Roth, Anna Diop as Starfire/Koriand’r, and Ryan Potter as Beast Boy/Gar Logan. In the pilot, Raven, the empathic daughter of a demon tracks Dick down in Detroit, where he lives, working as a police detective and trying to leave behind his violent past as Batman’s sidekick. As Roth describes their interaction, “She’s connected to him because they share the same feeling of abandonment. It’s more of a father-daughter relationship.”
In addition to the core foursome, the heroes will be joined by the Doom Patrol, who are being spun-off into their own show on DC Universe, Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as Hawk & Dove, Conor Leslie as Donna Troy who may or may not go by the name Wonder Girl and Batman’s new Robin, Jason Todd played by Curran Walters. Johns described Jason on the show, “Jason Todd thinks being Robin is the coolest thing that could ever happen to somebody, and Dick’s experience is vastly different.”
And while the show will diverge from the comics in some areas, Johns assured:
“The Titans always feel relevant because it’s about characters that are lost and found families. That will always be relevant, because it’s human.”
DC Universe launches on Saturday, September 15. ‘Titans’ will arrive on October 12, with new episodes arriving weekly. The first season consists of 12 episodes.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
