Despite the cancellation of beloved DC Comics television series such as Legends of Tomorrow, there are plenty of shows in development across various networks. With an abundance of superheroes and villains at their disposal, there is a lot of upcoming television series based on DC Comics properties in the works.
The emergence of streaming services has allowed more DC shows than ever to be developed and there is more of a focus on giving some of these characters a platform to shine. With several new superhero series on the horizon, some are still in the early development or filming stages.
Gotham Knights
In late 2021, The CW announced that they were creating a live-action Bat-Family-related series for their 2023 lineup. Similar to the upcoming 2022 video game also titled Gotham Knights, the series will follow Bruce Wayne's adopted son and other characters in Gotham City following the death of Batman. However, unlike the characters in the Gotham Knights video game, the series will feature multiple original characters.
The lead character and adopted son of Wayne, Turner Hayes is created for the series. He will be taking on the Dick Grayson type of role as the heir to Batman's legacy. There's still much to be learned about what this series can be, but they are currently in the early filming stages.
Justice U
John Diggle played by David Ramsey has been a staple character in The CW's Arrowverse ever since his introduction way back in 2012 on Arrow. In the upcoming series on The CW, Justice U will feature Diggle as the lead character, where he will be training a group of young metahumans in an undercover university. After Arrow concluded in early 2020, John Diggle has guest-starred on every remaining Arrowverse series with his side storyline that follows a potentially life-changing decision that he has yet to make.
Justice U will likely continue and conclude this storyline with Diggle taking center stage for the first time, which has fans of the character intrigued. John Diggle has always been a voice of reason and a mature leader in The Arrowverse, so his training of the heroes of tomorrow in his series is very fitting. The series is currently in development by The CW but has not been officially ordered yet.
Aqualad Series
In April 2022, it was announced that a live-action television series following Jackson Hyde's Aqualad was in development at HBO Max. The series is set to follow Aqualad as he learns how to use his water-based superpowers as a high school student, while also focusing on the character's sexuality as one of DC Comics' openly gay superheroes.
Aqualad is best known by fans of the Young Justice where he is one of the bravest characters in the series and one of the shining stars since the show's first season. The upcoming HBO Max series will be produced by Academy-Award-winning actress Charlize Theron and will feature multiple characters from the comics.
Madame X
One of the more fascinating DC Comics television series in the works is one based on Madame Xanadu. Madame Xanadu is a mystic in the DC Universe with several abilities including immortality and precognition.
Madame Xanadu uses tarot cards to tell the future or connect with other magical forces and is often a supporting character in storylines featuring other masters of the mystic arts. She is an extremely powerful magic user and has featured as a series regular in Swamp Thing and a recurring role in Young Justice. Madame X is set to take place in the DC Extended Universe with J.J Abrams attached to executive produce and Angela Robinson will write and produce the series.
Dead Boy Detectives
Season 3 of HBO Max's Doom Patrol introduced the Dead Boy Detectives in a guest star appearance. Charles Rowland and Edwin Payne are the ghosts of two children who stayed on Earth post-death to serve as detectives of supernatural crimes, rather than enter the afterlife. They work alongside their medium, Crystal Palace, a girl who can communicate with the dead.
HBO Max officially announced in April 2022 that the characters will receive an eight-episode first season on the streaming service. The three characters were well-perceived in Doom Patrol and although they have been recast for the upcoming series, there are high expectations for what should be a fun, supernatural detective story.
Untitled Val-Zod Limited Series
In 2021 it was announced that a Val-Zod limited series on HBO Max was being developed with actor Michael B. Jordan connected as executive producer and potential star. Val-Zod is a Kryptonian from Earth 2 whose parents were executed before Krypton's destruction. He grew up close friends with Kara Zor-El and would later go on to become the second hero to use the mantle of Superman. With similar origins to that of Kal-El's Superman, there are a lot of differences between the two characters that will likely be explored in the series.
While there is little known about any current updates of the series' progress, as of right now it is still confirmed to be in the early development stages.
Untitled Arkham Series
Following the massive success of Matt Reeves' The Batman, a spin-off series based on Arkham Asylum was announced to be in the works for an HBO Max release. The series is said to follow a more horror tone than the film and will feature the criminally insane that live inside of the asylum. It's hard not to make early comparisons to the hit Batman Arkham video game series as there are several things from the games fans want to see adapted in the upcoming series.
With it being revealed at the end of the film and in an extended deleted scene that this universe's version of The Joker is currently locked up in Arkham, there's much speculation that the infamous villain might make an appearance at some point in the series as well.
Justice League Dark
Along with the Madame X series, J.J. Abrams will also be executive producing a Justice League Dark series for HBO Max in the coming years. This team is a branch of the Justice League that consists of supernatural characters like Swamp Thing and magic users such as John Constantine, and Zatanna Zatara.
Justice League Dark has always had a unique roster of supervillains that will likely appear in the show, all of which are supernatural based in some way. It can be expected that the series will connect with Madame X with J.J. Abrams attached to both projects, but there is not a lot of information on what the series will entail as of right now.
The Penguin
Colin Farrell's portrayal of the Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin in Batman was one of the best casting choices in the film. A spinoff series for the character was officially ordered in early March, with a yet-to-be-announced release date. The end of the film saw Penguin take over the Iceberg Lounge as one of the top crime lords in all of Gotham City, which is what his upcoming solo series will focus on.
Having a series focus on the character's rise to power has the potential to be a great crime thriller with the right storytelling. Farrell is considered by some fans already as the best Penguin portrayal yet, and they are excited to see even more of the character when The Penguin comes to HBO Max soon.
Green Lantern
For years DC Comics fans have wanted to see a new Green Lantern movie or television series. Well, it's finally happening with the upcoming HBO Max series that was officially ordered back in October 2020. The series will focus on multiple Green Lanterns such as Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Guy Gardner, and the original lantern, Alan Scott. The Green Lantern Corps in live-action is long overdue for a reboot and deciding to focus on some of the other lanterns is a fresh way to do it.
While it would be exciting to see more popular characters like John Stewart or Hal Jordan, it seems as if there will be room to introduce them later on in the series. The expectations for this series are very high and with a confirmed 10-episode first season, the sky's the limit for what the series can be. While there haven't been many recent updates for the series, it can be assumed that it will finally be released in 2023 or early 2024.