Metropolis, a prequel TV series based on the classic mythology of Superman, has been given a 13 episode order by Warner Bros. Television. The series was reportedly picked up after being under consideration at Fox Broadcasting for some time, where it was being floated as a companion piece to the Batman prequel TV series Gotham.
Set in the titular city in the days before Superman’s existence was known to the world, the show-summary of Metropolis suggests the series will follow in the footsteps of supernatural investigation series such as The X-Files and Fringe. Metropolis will team reporter Lois Lane and scientist Lex Luthor as they “investigate the world of fringe science and expose the city’s dark and bizarre secrets.”
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According to Variety, Metropolis is scheduled to begin filming in late 2018 and will premiere on DC Comics’ upcoming digital streaming service sometime in 2019. John Stephens and Danny Cannon – executive producers on Gotham – will also serve as the executive producers on Metropolis. Cannon will also direct the first episode from a teleplay by Stephens, from a story created by both writers.
Metropolis is the fourth new series announced for DC Comics’ streaming service and the second live-action series after the upcoming Titans. The new service, which has not been given an official name as of yet, has also promised a new animated series based on the character of Harley Quinn and a third-season of the much-beloved Young Justice animated series. Other offerings on the service have yet to be confirmed, but it will likely include reruns of the many live-action and animated series based on DC Comics’ properties, along with these brand new shows.
It remains to be seen, however, if comic book fans will embrace this new spin on the Superman mythology. While DC Comics’ various TV show are performing quite well at present (with only a network edict stopping them from dominating The CW’s schedule completely), that wasn’t always the case. The description of Metropolis brings to mind the WB/CW series Smallville, which was famously derided by many comic book fans as being a Superman show without Superman. Then again, with pre-production on the series just starting and no cast or stories announced yet, it is too soon for anyone to rush to judgement on Metropolis. In any either case, it should prove interesting to see how the project develops over the coming year.
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Metropolis doesn’t have an official premiere date yet.
