I TEACH AN MBA class that focuses on Entertainment and Media. Trying to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of entertainment & media is quite the challenge. If you’re curious and looking for better, or new, ways for the world to work, it’s an awful lot of fun too.
Reading Variety on a regular basis is a piece of the puzzle, and as a comic fan I’m often rewarded with ‘breaking news’ from the comic world.
Earlier this week, Variety ran a few exclusives focusing on DC Comics news:
James Gunn’s working on Jimmy Olsen Crime Series for HBO Max – Here’s an excerpt:
DC Studios and HBO Max are developing a fictional true crime series set in the DC Universe.
Titled “DC Crime,” the show would be presented as a true crime docuseries that would be hosted by Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). The first season would focus on Gorilla Grodd, a DC villain best known for his battles with The Flash.
Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrautl would serve as writers, executive producers, and showrunners on the series. James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios would also executive produce, with DC Studios’ Galen Vaisman overseeing production. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.
I find it curious that Gorilla Grodd will be the initial focus of this show. I was never that big a fan of this long-lived bad guy, but that’s just me. Maybe that explains his recent starring role in Mark Waid’s Justice League/World’s Finest crossover event. And somehow it seems to fit in with the new Superman Unlimited series by Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque where one of the supporting characters is from Gorilla City. Her name is Tee-nah. She’s in charge of the Daily Planet’s IT, and she is the goddaughter of Solovar, the benevolent ruler of Gorilla City. She works closely with Jimmy Olsen too. Again, here’s the excerpt from Variety:
Grodd is a member of a highly-intelligent society of gorillas that gained psychic powers and other abilities after coming into contact with an alien spaceship. The character first appeared in the pages of DC Comics in 1959. He has been featured across a number of DC animated series and films, while the character made multiple appearances in The CW’s “Arrow-verse” shows, most notably in The Flash.
Gunn and Safran are in the process of building out an interconnected film and TV universe for DC. On the TV side, HBO will air the drama series Lanterns starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart. No premiere date has been set at this time, but it is expected to premiere in early 2026.
V For Vendetta to return to the screen: There’s also a story about Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta. It makes all the sense in the world give the success of HBO Max’s recent Watchmen series. Here’s more from Variety:
A V for Vendetta TV series is currently in development at HBO, Variety has learned exclusively.
According to sources, Pete Jackson is attached to write the series adaptation. James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios will executive produce, as will Ben Stephenson via Poison Pen and Leanne Klein of Wall to Wall Media, which is part of Warner Bros. Television Studios UK. Warner Bros. Television will produce. V for Vendetta began as a comic serial written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. It debuted in 1982 in the British anthology Warrior, with DC taking over publishing it in 1988.
The story is set in Britain in a dystopian, not-too-distant future in which the country is controlled by the fascistic Norsefire party. An anarchist named V, known for his distinctive Guy Fawkes mask, seeks to topple the government with the help of Evey Hammond, a young woman V rescued from the country’s secret police.
Should the V for Vendetta series move forward, it would be the latest DC Studios live-action show to find a home at HBO. Most famously, the premium cabler aired the drama The Penguin starring Colin Farrel and Cristin Milioti. That show served as a direct follow-up to Matt Reeves’ The Batman and went on to win nine Emmy Awards, including outstanding lead actress in a limited series for Milioti.
No premiere date has been set at this time, but it is expected to premiere in early 2026.
People are (still) watching the Superman movie: Selme Hailu reported that:
Superman flew to 13 million views in its first 10 days on HBO Max, marking the platform’s biggest 10-day audience for a movie debut since Barbie began streaming in 2023.
Great Scott! I find that amazing and encouraging.
Smallville Star Interview – Variety also ran a story about the ex-Smallville star Allison Mack telling her story about the abusive sex cult, NXIVM, in a CBC podcast. I find it all horrifying, tragic and sad.
* * *
On a lighter note, it IS a glorious time for long-time DC fans to enjoy and celebrate the mythology’s long-lived history. I’m also enjoying Mark Waid’s tiptoeing through about a zillion comics, and tidying up some troublesome spots along the way, in the New History of the DC Universe. It’s a slick series showcasing a plethora of wonderful artists (including favorites like Samnee and Allred) complete with extensive annotations at the back of each issue.
And the long-lived Comics for Collectors comic shop in Ithaca, NY sold me reader copies of the first 6 issues of the old Secret Origin series. Back in the ‘70s, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed buying this comic off the spinner rack. And it makes for a nice counterbalance to the new DC History comics.
