DC Comics Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns has already begun writing for the Teen Titans live-action show that will be titled Titans. The series was originally in the works at TNT before the network head announced in early 2016 they would no longer be developing it. TNT Chief Creative Officer Kevin Reilly said at the time that their decision came because of a market oversaturated in superhero content.

Recently, however, DC announced its own digital streaming service that will be home to not only the long-gestating Titans series, but Young Justice season 3 - which is titled Young Justice: Outsiders. Since the annoucement, Johns mentioned that Beast Boy - who has been a member of the Teen Titans in the comics since the early 80s - was going to be in the cast. Now, his latest tease reveals he's already working on the show's script and may have decided on the titular team's lineup.

Earlier today Johns wrote on Twitter: “Enjoying an early Friday writing...” Along with the tweet was a picture of the 2003 Titans roster that Johns created during his four-year-long run on the title. The roster at the time consisted of Raven, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy who had taken on the role of mentors to the Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Conner Kent), Impulse (Bart Allen) and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark). Take a look at Johns' tweet:

Johns is a long-time comics writer who knows the DC catalog better than anyone - especially these characters. He has written for previous DC shows such as The Flash and Smallville. He also co-wrote the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. How much direct influence Johns will have on the Titans series is unclear, but given his expertise, both in writing and the lore, it would ease the minds of many worried fans that this would be another in a long line of series by Greg Berlanti or the tedious Gotham.

Given the new platform and a potentially new pair of eyes working on it, the Titans series could become a landmark for DC TV. On a streaming service they could allow for more adult content, and without the demands of a network, be able to produce fewer episodes a season. That would allow for tighter and more focused storytelling, hopefully doing away with the filler episodes that plague network shows that must produce 22 episodes a season, while a change in tone could keep the series from being too much like the Arrowverse or too much like the DCEU.

Whether the picture is indicative of the roster that the series will be focusing on is currently unknown; the original pitch had a different roster. Its relation to the other DC shows and movies is also unknown. The CW shows are (for the most part) in their own universe. Supergirl is connected via the multiverse, while FOX’s Gotham is in its own continuity. All of these series are in separate universes as the DCEU live-action movies. Given that Titans is on DC’s upcoming streaming service, and considering the modern (possible) cast, there is a chance that this series will be somehow connected to the movie universe.

Of course, whether Titans is or isn’t in continuity isn’t the only question facing the series. A good percentage of the roster is made up of legacy characters. Will DC allow for other actors to come in playing Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, as they have in Supergirl or place an embargo on the characters like in other instances of the Arrowverse? Perhaps the best bet would be to keep it separate, insulating the show from any connection to the divisive DCEU developments.

Next: Every DCEU Movie Currently in Development

Titans and Young Justice: Outsiders are premiering on DC’s digital service in 2018.

Source: Geoff Johns