Ava DuVernay To Develop ‘Naomi’ Series For The CW
by Erik Amaya
The next generation of DC heroes on The CW is on its way.
Variety reports A Wrinkle in Time and New Gods director Ava DuVernay is developing a CW series based on the DC Comics miniseries Naomi. Written by Brian Micheal Bendis and David F. Walker with art from Jamal Campbell, the six-issue run told the story of Naomi McDuffie, a teenager from a small northwestern town who discovers she has a role to play in the DC Multiverse. Former Arrow writer Jill Blankenship will serve as an executive producer on the potential series.
If it goes to series, the program will be part of the network’s plan to create a new class of DC television shows. And it seems the initiative for that next generation is accelerating as Black Lightning and Supergirl are ending their runs this coming season. Other programs in the development pipeline include a Painkiller spinoff from the Black Lightning team and a Wonder Girl series based on the Future State Wonder Woman created by Joëlle Jones. Presumably, the two series will still be part of the established Arrowverse and take place on Earth-Prime. Although, Naomi’s destiny in the Mutliverse suggests she may re-open the door The CW seemingly locked at the end of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
The three potential series also reflect the networks commitment to a broader audience with characters outside the traditional DC mold in terms of ethnic backgrounds, their bases of operations, and their relatively recent creation. At least, compared to The Flash and Arrow — characters created in the 1940s — Naomi and the new Wonder Woman are infants.
The Naomi series also represents DuVernay’s third project with DC-published material. She is attached to direct a New Gods feature and helm several episodes HBO Max’s DMZ adaptation.