Another female-fronted superhero story is in the works at The CW — and it marks the latest in Ava DuVernay’s long string of recent television projects. Variety confirms DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (“Arrow”) are writing and exec producing potential CW show “Naomi,” based on the DC Comics series of the same name. Warner Bros. Television, where DuVernay is under a deal, is the project’s studio.
“Naomi” follows “a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes,” per the source. “The character originally debuted in her own standalone comic book series in 2019, which was co-written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker. It was illustrated by Jamal Campbell. In the comics, Naomi had energy-based powers as well as an ability to transform into superpowered form that granted her incredible strength and other abilities.”
Also in development at The CW are “Wonder Girl,” a drama about Latina Dreamer and caped crusader Yara Flor from Dailyn Rodriguez, and a “Powerpuff Girls” reboot from Diablo Cody and Heather Regnier. The network is also the home to “Batwoman” and “Supergirl,” which are returning for their respective second and sixth seasons in 2021.
DuVernay’s limited series “DMZ,” also based on a DC Comics title, was ordered to series at HBO Max. She is exec producing Native American family drama “Sovereign” for NBC, and will narrate and EP an HBO docuseries about the craft of filmmaking. She created OWN’s “Queen Sugar” and “Cherish the Day” as well as the Emmy-winning Exonerated Five miniseries “When They See Us.”
“A Wrinkle in Time” and “Selma” are among DuVernay’s film credits. She made history as the first woman of color to helm a $100 million-plus live-action film with the former.
An alumna of “Arrow,” Blankenship wrote for the tentpole series, co-exec produced, and eventually became an exec producer. Among the eps she penned was the backdoor pilot “Green Arrow & the Canaries.” Previously, she was a writer and co-EP on “The Last Ship.”
