Dave Cunningham
At this point, it doesn’t even come as a surprise that The CW has another superhero series incoming. To them, it comes as naturally as breathing––and people love it. I mean, who doesn’t love watching superheroes duking it out with animated powers and awesome costumes. This time, however, it’s what we like to call a sort-of coming-of-age series where discovering powers and mastering them are obligatory. Unlike Superman, this small-town girl wasn’t shooting laser beams at a young age.
The CW presents to you the latest addition to their ever-expanding Arrowverse from Ava DuVernay––Naomi.
What is Naomi all about?
Last year, there was one last-minute announcement from The CW: Naomi. It has been said that the series is a new addition to the Arrowverse and will be headed by Ava DuVernay and Arrow writer and co-executive producer Jill Blankenship. The series will be based on the genius of Brian Michael Bendis’ 2019 limited comic series and will follow the adventures of the titular teenage hero from a small northwestern town during the batter between Superman and Mogul.
Who are attached to Naomi?
As the development stages of Naomi come to fruition, Arrowverse’s newest spinoff will feature three important roles. Deadline has already reported that Broadway’s The Lion King‘s Kaci Walfall will be starring as the adopted girl who begins to venture and learn more about her powers after the legendary Superman is nowhere to be found.
That makes one of the three important roles. Alongside Walfall for the pilot will be three young actors in Orange Is the New Black‘s Alexander Wraith, Filthy Rich‘s Cranston Johnson, and rookie Camila Moreno, as per Deadline.
Wraith, on the other hand, will be playing the role of Dee––the owner of the local tattoo shop who’s been hiding an important secret; Johnson is tasked to enact Zumbado, the neighborhood’s used-car dealer with a particularly bothering past; Moreno, lastly, will be playing Lourdes––“a young woman with a sarcastic sense of humor who works in a vintage collectibles shop” and has “an unrequited crush on Naomi.” They both share their love for comics, as all lovable comic geeks are nowadays––making her the perfect partner to go investigating with Naomi to answer all questions regarding the vast universe of powers.
The project is co-written by Bendis and David F. Walker as well as illustrated by Jamal Campbell. Naomi takes on the responsibility of pushing DC’s Bendis-curated Wonder Comics imprint further––adding yet another story to the already-gigantic origins of the Arrowverse. This time––it’s just about a small-town girl. (cue Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing).
At The CW, both DuVernay and Blankenship are working hard to write and executive produce the newest addition to the family. It’s automatic, given that this project stems from DuVernay’s Array Filmworks alongside Warner Bros. Television. With DuVernay and Blankenship, the other executive producers are Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes.
When is the release date of Naomi on The CW?
Well, that’s a good question. However, there’s really no good answer to that just yet. A premiere date hasn’t been set for Naomi––considering that the project is still in its early stages of development. Plus, it’s one part of the ever-busy Arrowverse series, including the upcoming Wonder Girl and Superman & Lois which was only recently released.
In addition, The CW might find it hard to squeeze it into an official schedule since Arrow and Supergirl are both entering their final seasons––which takes priority. If you look at it from another perspective, however, it may just fit perfectly once both those series finish. Either way, this is something we’re excitingly watching out for!
