CW Develops Robin Pre-Batman Series
By Garth FranklinWednesday, October 1st 2008 12:06am
With its flagship series "Smallville" likely in its final season, The CW is developing a new show entitled "The Graysons" based on the early days of Batman sidekick Robin reports IGN.
Just as "Smallville" focuses on Clark Kent in the years before he became Superman, "The Graysons" will follow the world of Dick "DJ" Grayson before he takes on the iconic Robin identity and aligns himself with Batman.
In the one-hour "Graysons," which will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up.
"Smallville" executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson have come up with an original take on the character and will steer the series alongside "Supernatural" executive producer McG.
Neat idea that could work well if carried forward in the Smallville vein but for me, the name's all wrong!
1. Graysons = Simpsons = Waltons. The names just blur and give all the wrong associations.
2. In Britain, the name Grayson is mainly associated with Larry and not Dick. Thus, a series about the youth of a crime-fighting superhero is potentially hamstrung by being named after a camp variety performer (and according to IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0337118/bio), an ex-drag act).
I dare say the series will do well regardless, but I wish they'd called it something else!
Didn't Dick Grayson grow up in a circus? Or is that Jason Todd? I keep getting my Robins mixed up..
It seems like it would be weird to have a TV show about a young circus performer who's family ends up getting killed...
Yes - Dick Grayson was the first Robin and was taken in by Bruce Wayne and eventually became Robin after his circus parents were killed.. I mean that's the whole point and how he became Robin. Now the more recent Robin in the comics might work for this - Tim Drake. He actually deduces Bruce is Batman and sort of pesters him into letting him be the new Robin. He does have a separate family (although his dad was killed too). Jason Todd was the middle Robin and was sort of killed by the Joker - although he is back now too.
CW Scraps Pre-Robin Graysons
The CW and Warner Brothers TV have been forced to scrap their plans for The Graysons, a proposed drama about Dick Grayson, the boy wonder who becomes Batman's Robin, Variety reported.
The show had been given a put pilot commitment and was intended to replace the Superman-themed Smallville when it ends its run.
The decision to yank the project came from Warner Brothers Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov, who initially gave his blessing but changed his mind in recent days.
The Graysons was envisioned as a superhero origins story and was developed to revolve around the world of Dick "DJ" Grayson before he took on the iconic Robin identity.
Isn't it awefully confusing trying to keep the differrent reincarnations of this straight, how many batman and robins have their been anyway? For that matter How many reincarnations of superman?
Robin 1 - Dick Grayson - became Nightwing
Robin 2 - Jason Todd - "killed" by Joker, returned as Red Hood
Robin 3 - Tim Drake - current Robin
Robin 4 - Stephanie Brown - a.k.a. Spoiler, replaced Tim for a while, presumed dead, but not really
Carrie Kelly was Robin in the future tale, The Dark Knight Returns.
I'm the biggest Robin fan you'll ever meet. In my tiny office right here, I've got 18 different representations of him. (We use this as a counting exercise with my children.)
That being said, I'm delighted that this ill-fated show will not be made. There's a TV series in the character, but that wasn't the right approach. I think a Nightwing series, set apart from Gotham and Batman, is full of story potential.
The story of "DJ" before he became Robin doesn't interest me in the slightest.