Ava DuVernay, has revealed a new image from the pilot of The CW’s adaptation of the DC Comics character, Naomi, offering a comics-accurate look at the superheroine. The six-issue comic series and character was co-created by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and was inked by Jamal Campbell, with a second season of comics in development. DuVernay is writing and executive producing the pilot alongside Arrow alum, Jill Blankenship.
First announced in December, the series was set to be one of two projects in the world of DC Comics from the Selma filmmaker alongside directing and executive producing HBO Max’s DMZ and co-writing and directing the DC Extended Universe’s New Gods. The latter project was shelved by Warner Bros. indefinitely with James Wan’s The Trench as the studio reflects on its path forward for the DCEU in the wake of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The cast for the pilot will be led by Kaci Walfall in the titular role alongside Alexander Wraith, Cranston Johnson and newcomer, Camila Moreno, as series regulars should it be picked up by the network.
A new photo, released by DuVernay on Twitter a few weeks after production began on the pilot, illustrates a comics-accurate depiction of Walfall’s character, reminiscent of the first issue of Bendis and Walker’s source material. DuVernay also expressed a lot of praise for the pilot and the star, finding it takes her back to the days of her youth. The first-look photo can be seen below:
Naomi will explore the titular character’s journey as a teenager traveling from her small northwestern town to the heights of the larger multiverse. Upon learning of a supernatural event that rattles her hometown, she elects to return and investigate its origins and discovers something that will challenge everything people believe about superheroes. While part of the CW’s DC universe, it’s currently unclear if the series will be set in the same world as the Arrowverse or be separate from the rest.
Should the series move forward at the network and stand apart from the rest, it wouldn’t be the first to do so, as Batwoman started off existing outside of the Arrowverse universe and Stargirl was kept separate prior to the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover. Even with the impending finales of Supergirl and Black Lightning, The CW will look to maintain its grip on the superhero demographic with Naomi, should it go to series. For now, fans will have to wait with excitement for DuVernay’s official comic book adaptation debut.
