During WarnerMedia’s HBO Max presentation this evening, the company revealed that it was developing a pair of DC superhero shows with Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti: an anthology series called Strange Adventures, and another inspired by The Green Lantern.
Details about what the shows will be specifically about and when they’ll be released weren’t unveiled at the presentation. According to Variety, Strange Adventures will feature a range of heroes from across DC’s pantheon of characters, and will “explore close-ended stories about the intersecting lives of ordinary humans and superhumans.” In a statement, Berlanti noted that the Green Lantern series will be “our biggest DC show ever made,” and that they’ll be taking their adventures into space.
Berlanti is the person behind The CW’s huge DC Arrowverse franchise, which encompasses live-action shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman, as well as a couple of other projects in development, including Superman & Lois and The Canaries. Berlanti also oversees Black Lightning, which isn’t strictly set in the Arrowverse (but some of its characters will appear in this year’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event) and DC Universe shows Titans, Doom Patrol, and Stargirl (which form their own connected universe). It’s not immediately clear if either of these two projects will tie in with that overarching franchise.
HBO Max will be the streaming home for the other Arrowverse shows, and having some exclusive DC projects makes sense: The CW found an enormous amount of success in building out its own franchise based on the characters in the last couple of years. Basing a show on such a high-profile character would likely entice users to sign up for the service, and to check out the other shows while they’re there. Hopefully, it’ll turn out to be better than the 2011 film.
