Following what can only be described as mildly amusing imagery of a live-action Blue Beetle series released on the DC website, it got us thinking about past live action versions of DC superheroes – the doomed Aquaman pilot, Mercy Reef, Smallville…The Flash. The potential is certainly there, even though too much ambition can fall victim to the budgetary restraints of TV. With that in mind, here are a few we think would be a great fit:
Green Arrow
This wouldn’t take much – it could even be a Smallville spin-off once the show closes its tenth season. Justin Hartley is popular among Smallville fans, and the special effects wouldn’t cost a fortune; they’re arrows, after all.
Robin
This was in production, going under the name The Graysons. Shortly after its announcement, however, the project was scrapped and we were mercifully spared a series about trapeze artists. Something like this fan film, however, sounds far more promising to me.
Batman
I think there’s an excellent Bruce Wayne: The Early Years in there, somewhere, as almost a dark reflection of Smallville, grittier in tone. We saw snapshots of it in Batman Begins, but I’m sure there’d be a few Batfans up for a show examining Bruce’s inner torment.
The Flash
We’ve seen a sample of The Flash in Smallville, and it works pretty well. Again, we’d be looking at ‘Early Years’ type of affair – they seem to be far more flattering on the TV format than the elaborate costumes, special effects and such demanded by the TV budget.
