Creator/executive producer Ava DuVernay explains why she wanted to develop The CW's Naomi and being proud of the series' story and message. Based on Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker's DC Comics of the same name, the show centers on the titular comic book-loving teenager living in the town of Port Oswego where a supernatural event has shaken the town to its core. Naomi sets out to uncover the event's origins with the help of her best friend and adoptive parents, which ultimately leads to her learning of the multiverse and slowly developing her own superhero powers.
Kaci Walfall leads the cast of Naomi in the titular role alongside Mary-Charles Jones, Cranston Johnson, Alexander Wraith, Daniel Puig, Aidan Gemme, Will Meyers, Camila Moreno, Mouzam Makkar and Barry Watson. Development on Naomi was first announced in late 2020 when DuVernay partnered up with The CW to bring the character to life in her own series alongside Arrow alum Jill Blankenship, who serves as showrunner on the title. After landing a pilot order in February 2021, The CW would pick Naomi for a full series order two months later with DuVernay developing and executive producing alongside Blankenship, Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes.
Ahead of the show's premiere, Ava DuVernay took to Twitter to discuss her work on The CW's Naomi series. The Oscar nominee opened up about why she wanted to develop the DC Comics show for the network, citing her desire to see "a show about a Black girl learning that she's actually a superhero" and praising the story of the show. See what DuVernay said below:
Click here to see the original post
DuVernay's journey through the world of superheroes has been something of a bumpy one due to her work on the long-gestating New Gods film for the DC Extended Universe. The project would ultimately be shelved alongside James Gunn's Aquaman horror spin-off The Trench, which DuVernay hinted stemmed from Warner Bros.' decision to release Zack Snyder's Justice League and its narrative connections to Darkseid, who was a part of her film. Thankfully for the Emmy winner and fans of DuVernay, her work with The CW appears to have been a much smoother process than that of the DCEU.
Audiences have been very curious in their expectations for The CW's Naomi, namely in its unclear connections to the network's Arrowverse with trailers for the series teasing an interaction between the titular character and some Superman, a nod to the comics' running gag of Naomi frequently missing first-hand interactions with the Kryptonian hero. Though DuVernay has stated Naomi season 1 won't feature any overt Arrowverse crossovers in an effort to better establish its titular character and her universe, she and Blankenship have also teased the possibility of a future season working in these connections. The wait for Naomi is over as the pilot has premiered on The CW with new episodes airing every Tuesday.
Source: Ava DuVernay/Twitter