Remember when Marvel Studios was trying to get Ava DuVernay to direct Captain Marvel and Black Panther? Seems like a lifetime ago, and now she has become a major force over at DC. Not only is she helming a New Gods film, but a DMZ series for HBO Max, and now she’s headed to The CW with an adaptation of DC Comics series, Naomi.
Naomi is based on the 2019 DC Comic by writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and superstar artist Jamal Campbell. It centers on a northwestern teen girl who discovers a multiverse of superheroes after a cataclysmic event shakes her town. Setting out to uncover the truth, Naomi learns something that changes everything she thought she knew about the world’s heroes.
The series will be developed, written, and exec-produced by DuVernay alongside Arrow writer/EP Jill Blankenship.
What’s unclear at this point is if Naomi will be part of Greg Berlanti’s vaunted Arrowverse of shows. This would be the first DC Comics drama on the network not to be produced by Berlanti. Other shows from Berlanti have been excluded from the Arrowverse, such as Black Lightning and Stargirl.
While I’m more interested in seeing what DuVernay does on the big screen, it’s tough to ignore that she’s telling stories that reflect unique takes on the black experience. Having more superhero projects featuring people of color is a good thing as it opens up whole new worlds of storytelling, as HBO’s Watchmen showed us.
Thanks @DCComics for believing in the vision. Barda. Zee Hernandez. Now, Naomi. The third DC project for @ARRAYNow. Working hard to bring these ladies to the screen. Thanks to @BrianMBendis @DavidWalker1201 + my writing partner Jill Blankenship for joining me on NAOMI. Love her. pic.twitter.com/0ZXoGYsOik
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) December 4, 2020
