In the early days, I never suspected that DC Comics would ever be a big part of HBO beyond the airings of the Christopher Reeves Superman movies. Undying love for many of the super-characters like Batman and the success of Lindelof’s WATCHMEN all prove that the IP needed to be tapped into for the mainstream audiences as well as the geeks…or is that nerds?
So, around here we need to include and talk about DC content on HBO & Max. As of this writing, fans are immersed in Colin Farrell’s turn in the highly-rated limited series THE PENGUIN. Just recently he stated he was happy the series was behind him because of the prosthetic makeup required for the role. In short, he hated it. Farrell stated to Total Film that it was grueling. Farrell stated, “Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it got in on me a little bit. By the end of 
it, I was bitching and moaning to anyone who would listen to me that I fucking wanted it to be finished. I tried to remind them that I had ‘grumpy gratitude.’ I was still grateful, and still honored – I grew up watching Burgess Meredith [who played the role in the ’60s TV series], and then Danny DeVito [in Tim Burton’s 1992 film Batman Returns] was my Penguin – so being a part of the lineage of that storytelling, I really did feel privileged. But by the end of it… He concluded with the thought, “When I finished I was like, ‘I never want to put that fucking suit and that fucking head on again.'”
But with the acclaim THE PENGUIN is getting he just might, if WBD CEO David Zaslav has his way. Zaslav wants to cash in on the DC content, whether it be in movies or TV; whether it be more Batman, Batman-related (like THE PENGUIN) or other DC content. He has a big task on his hands if he wants to catch up with Marvel, especially during the buzz regarding superhero fatigue. This post alone proves that they are giving it all they’ve got.
One DC work that we do know is on the fast track is LANTERNS. That is the Green Lantern series featuring the Lantern Corps characters of Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two earthlings who earned the right to wear the powerful green rings. Well, producers Chris Mundy (TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY) and Damon Lindelof (THE LEFTOVERS and WATCHMEN) have just now locked in the key cast. At first, you might recall, Josh Brolin was hoped to be cast in the Jordan role. Perhaps they wanted to give him another chance as his stint as DC’s Jonah Hex didn’t go so well. He declined the offer and the rumored Mathew McConaughey (TRUE DETECTIVE didn’t happen either. Who did snag the role?
Kyle Chandler, whose latest TV gig was 2022’s Super Pumped and the Slumberland movie, finally seized the role. Obviously, for the Hal Jordan role, they were looking for an older actor. Jordan will be a seasoned heroic legend and mentor to the younger lead character of Stewart. Two contenders were vying for the John Stewart role. The young bucks in contention were Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad) and Stephan James (Homecoming), with Pierre earning the right to play the character. S o, do you see Chandler & Pierre as intergalactic space police?
One other creative is onboard, but not in an onscreen capacity. British TV director James Hawes, who directed six episodes of Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, a RAISED BY WOLVES episode for Max and other TV episodes, is set to direct at least the first two installments of LANTERNS.
Next, we look at a show slow to return to Max but all ready for the screen. Season 2 of PEACEMAKER has been delayed. James Gunn and Peter Safran have passed the ruling, which they can do because they run the DCU, that the sophomore season of the John Cena show cannot roll out until the big screen Superman arrives. It doesn’t do so until July 112025, So, PEACEMAKER is a good nine months away. Will fans even remember the series by then? Well, they will if DC keeps on dropping teaser after teaser for months to remind them that the superhero ‘douchebag’ (Gunn’s word not mine) and his merry band of cohorts still have action in them. So, we get two quick-fire photos to start off that round of teases. First up is a behind-the-scenes picture. It is believed to be John Cena standing on set in his Peacemaker helmet. Is it, though? Most stars don’t stand around for a scene setup, a stand-in is present for that sort of thing. It was half of a posting Gunn placed on X back in September. Here it is in full.
Then for October, we get another picture via X. Does anyone know of a Native American DC superhero or supervillain?
That’s it. That is all we get with half a dozen more teasers to go before we get the trailer and a premiere date. Feel free to ponder.
You don’t, however, have to wait very long at all for an animated DC series. The seven-episode Max Original adult animated series CREATURE COMMANDOS, written and executive produced by James Gunn, debuts THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 on Max followed by one episode weekly until January 16. It tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.
These deadly oddballs are Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky. Also, you can hear Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. The little trailer set it up nicely.
I am sure there will be plenty of DC News to share in the months ahead. If you are a big DC fan and want to volunteer, yes volunteer, to write about DC content on HBO & Max. here at HBOWatch, just let us know in the comments below.
