Robin Begins: Batman's Sidekick gets his own show on the CW!

[Brian Damage]

Holy prequel, Boy Wonder, the CW is prepping a series based on Batman sidekick Robin’s pre-Caped Crusader days.
"Smallville" exec producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, as well as "Supernatural" exec producer McG, are behind "The Graysons," which has landed a put pilot commitment at the netlet.

Just as "Smallville" focused on Clark Kent in the years before he became Superman, "The Graysons" will follow the world of Dick "DJ" Grayson before he takes on the iconic Robin identity and aligns himself with Batman.

Project reps the latest DC Comics franchise to be mined for the smallscreen by sibling Warner Bros. TV. McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision label is also attached.

Souders, Peterson, McG and Wonderland’s Peter Johnson will exec produce.

"The Graysons" is seen as a potential replacement for "Smallville" should that show end its run this season, which has been speculated. Should "Smallville" return next year, "The Graysons" might also make a strong companion piece.

CW insiders said they also see the "Graysons" development as a validating gesture by Warner Bros. that the company is still behind its 50% investment in the netlet, particularly following this fall’s strong openings for "Gossip Girl" and newbie "90210." They believe the studio wouldn’t risk bringing one of its prized franchises to CW if it believed the net was in dire straits.

In the one-hour "Graysons," which will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up. Souders and Peterson have come up with an original take on the character.

In the original Batman mythology, Grayson was a young acrobat and part of the family act called "The Flying Graysons." He was orphaned when a gangster sabotaged his parents’ trapeze equipment. Bruce Wayne took him under his wing and trained him to help fight crime.

Grayson later morphed into the character of Nightwing, as part of "The New Teen Titans," and a series of new Robin replacements were introduced.

Souders and Peterson serve as showrunners (along with Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer) on "Smallville," which has just entered its eighth season. They’ve been with the hit drama since season two, and helped successfully transition the show following the departure of longtime toppers Miles Millar and Al Gough.

In features, Peterson wrote "But I’m a Cheerleader," while Souders was behind "Tell Me."

McG’s credits also include NBC’s "Chuck" and the upcoming feature "Terminator Salvation." "The Graysons" reps McG’s second DC Comics sale this year: Wonderland is also behind the Fox project "Human Target," which Jon Steinberg is writing.

CW predecessor the WB tackled the Batman mythology with 2002’s short-lived "Birds of Prey," which followed a group of female superheroes who flew in to protect Gotham after Batman disappeared.

Burt Ward, of course, played Dick Grayson/Robin in the campy 1965-68 TV series "Batman." And several animated versions of the Batman story have appeared on the smallscreen through the years, most recently KidsWB’s "The Batman."

Bob Kane created the DC Comics characters.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=14&cs=1

[tv star collector]

It might be interesting, but not as interesting as Smallville because--
unlike Clark Kent--Dick Grayson doesn't possess any super-powers. I would
rather see a Supergirl spin-off (with Laura Vandervoort reprising her
role as Kara) or perhaps a Wonder Girl series. The closest thing to Wonder
Girl (of the original Teen Titans) on screen so far was Debra Winger as
Wonder Woman's younger sister Drusilla on TV's Wonder Woman. If that
show had lasted longer, I believe she might have spun off to her own series.
Just a thought.

[TJL]

Holy Birds Of Prey Batman!

It looks like another bad idea with the Caped Crusaders name atached to it!

[robyrob]

Originally Posted by tv star collector

It might be interesting, but not as interesting as Smallville because--
unlike Clark Kent--Dick Grayson doesn't possess any super-powers. I would
rather see a Supergirl spin-off (with Laura Vandervoort reprising her
role as Kara) or perhaps a Wonder Girl series. The closest thing to Wonder
Girl (of the original Teen Titans) on screen so far was Debra Winger as
Wonder Woman's younger sister Drusilla on TV's Wonder Woman. If that
show had lasted longer, I believe she might have spun off to her own series.
Just a thought.

i like both of those ideas!!

unless they make a lot of changes in the Batman backstory, I don't see how its going to work; Dick Grayson was somewhere between 8 and 12 years old when his parents were murdered and he was taken in by Bruce Wayne - is this going to be the story of his pre-teen years, or after he discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman?

I would think that the only way it makes sense is if they focus on the period between the time he is adopted by Bruce and when he discovers his secret.

...unless they change EVERYTHING, which is what I am guessing that they plan to do.

[tv star collector]

Originally Posted by robyrob

i like both of those ideas!!

unless they make a lot of changes in the Batman backstory, I don't see how its going to work; Dick Grayson was somewhere between 8 and 12 years old when his parents were murdered and he was taken in by Bruce Wayne - is this going to be the story of his pre-teen years, or after he discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman?

I would think that the only way it makes sense is if they focus on the period between the time he is adopted by Bruce and when he discovers his secret.

...unless they change EVERYTHING, which is what I am guessing that they plan to do.

Yeah. If they're faithful to the comic books--and focus on his pre-Batman
life, that would mean he would be about ten years old and living in the circus.
We've seen that before on TV's Circus Boy and the Disney movie "Toby
Tyler." (Maybe they could even get Micky Dolenz and Kevin Corcoran to do a guest shot. ) Holy deja vu, Batman!