9 Casting Choices For The Live-Action Teen Titans TV Series

With the news that the Teen Titans TV series, simply titled Titans, will be shooting in September, the production team must be in final talks with actors and agents over the roles. Naturally, we're all excited and eagerly anticipating the news of who'll be bringing these heroes (and villains) to life. As always with this type of thing, we've debated who we'd like to see as the primary cast of the show and reached a consensus of sorts. Some of these names will be extremely familiar to you, while others might be a bit of a surprise (no, we didn't pick Justin Bieber as Nightwing). Keep in mind, though, that we chose actors who'll likely accept TV roles, so you won't be seeing major A-list stars here. If you agree or disagree with our choices, please do let us know in the comments section down below. We welcome and love to read all your opinions (even the trolls), so don't be shy to share your thoughts with us. Nightwing Our pick: Dylan O'Brien All right, before we get the Zac Attack from Zac Efron's overzealous fanbase in the comments section, keep in mind that Dick Grayson will most likely be a little younger and starting off as Nightwing in Titans. For this reason, we went with a younger actor who can pull off the dual heroic and leadership role, as well as still be a heartthrob. If you've watched The Maze Runner films, you've undoubtedly noticed Dylan O'Brien's qualities. He might only be 25, but he's already shown a maturity and wisdom beyond his years in his performances. So, it's only natural that he takes his rightful place as Nightwing, the leader of the Teen Titans, correct? If we were casting for Chris McKay's Nightwing project, we'd probably suggest either Ben Barnes or Milo Ventimiglia (sorry, Zac) for the older Grayson. But since this production requires a young whippersnapper with less wrinkles and more attitude, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone better than Dylan at this moment. He's on the cusp of breaking into the big league, and this could be the role that does it for him. Starfire Our pick: Sonequa Martin-Green We fell in love with Sonequa Martin-Green's Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead, and now that she's gone, there's a giant gaping hole in our hearts. There is a way to fix it, though: cast her as Koriand'r, AKA Starfire, and make things right in the universe again. Not only does Sonequa have the sleek physique and natural beauty to portray a live-action Starfire, but she's also got the acting chops to express Kori's in-depth struggle to adjusting to life on Earth. Just think about Sasha's sadness and sacrifice in the last season of The Walking Dead as the perfect demonstration of what Sonequa's capable of pulling off when required. Whoever gets the role of Starfire in Titans will have a pivotal part to play in the series' success, since the character will undoubtedly be one of the main leads alongside Dick Grayson. With this in mind, we hope that Geoff Johns and company have already called Sonequa's agent and are ironing out a deal for her. Beast Boy Our pick: Caleb McLaughlin As one of the youngest members of the Teen Titans, Garfield Logan (Beast Boy) will have an important role to play as the funnyman and heart of the team. When you think of a talented young actor who'd be able to pull this off this endearing character, Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin is a name that immediately comes to mind. Caleb has already expressed a desire in playing the Mile Morales version of Spider-Man, and it's entirely possible that he could end up voicing the character in the 2018 animated film. In the meantime, however, he could cross the Marvel and DC divide (like many others have) and take on the role of Beast Boy as well. There's no doubt that his star-making performance as Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things has put Caleb's name at the top of prospective roles and he's hot property right now. So, here's hoping that he'll add Titans as another major IMDb credit in 2018. Raven Our pick: Taissa Farmiga The role of Rachel Roth (Raven) will be a coveted one. The character possesses a multitude of cool superpowers - from telekinesis to teleportation - and also happens to be a demon-human hybrid. Basically, whoever scores the role of Raven in Titans will end up playing one of the most powerful heroines in DC Comics. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? No one plays the moody, tortured soul quite like Taissa Farmiga does. In fact, she's probably at serious risk of being typecast due to this. But hey, if you're good at something, why change a winning formula? Lest we forget, Taissa voiced Raven in the last two animated movies, so she has a head start over everyone else. She's become a recognized face on TV over the years, appearing in various seasons of American Horror Story, and her addition to Titans will not only aid her burgeoning profile, but the show's as well. It's a win-win situation for all the parties involved here, especially the fans. Simply put: she's the only Raven. Cyborg Our pick: O'Shea Jackson Jr. It's currently unknown if Titans will feature its own version of Vic Stone (Cyborg) since Justice League already has Ray Fisher in the role. Considering the character's history and close ties to the team, however, we think it'd be rather stupid not to include him. Having already made a name for himself in Straight Outta Compton, portraying his old man Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Jr. has the look, humor, and stature to pull off Cyborg. Also, at 26, he's the right age to hold this role for more than a few years. That said, O'Shea is dabbling in the big leagues now, with a purported appearance in 2019's Godzilla: King of Monsters, and he still has his music career under the moniker of OMG. With so much else going on, would he want to take on the pressure of being a TV actor as well? Only he knows the answer to that question. Brother Blood Our pick: Stephen Lang After Deathstroke, Brother Blood is probably the Teen Titans' biggest villain, and he'll undoubtedly have some part to play in the live-action series. As the leader of a religious cult, he bears many similarities to another DC character, Deacon Blackfire; however, we still think Blood is the cooler antagonist of the two. Having missed out on the Cable role (inexplicably) in Deadpool 2, Stephen Lang is itching for a comic book property to get stuck into. His ruthless performance as Increase Mather in Salem has us convinced that he'll be the ideal Blood and foil for the young heroes. And if he needs to throw down, we only need to look to Don't Breathe to see what horrors he's capable of unleashing. Stephen's one of the most underrated talents in Hollywood and it's a damn shame. He's so good that he could even turn the autobiography of a sandwich into a watchable affair. Here, he'd have the chance to show everyone what he's all about and leave a lasting mark on the show. Blue Beetle Our pick: Tyler Posey With so many possible superheroes to choose from, it's imperative that the producers lock down Blue Beetle for the series. He's become one of the most popular members of the team in recent years and will be a visual delight (if executed properly). For the role of Jaime Reyes, we envision Tyler Posey from Teen Wolf fame in the driver's seat. Much like Scott McHall, Jaime inherits a set of powers that he struggles to control and contain. At times, we actually wonder if it's Jaime making the decisions, or the alien scarab dictating to him. Tyler knows what this sort of role requires and should be the first choice if he wants it. As we all know, Teen Wolf is coming to an end, so Tyler should have some more free time on his hands. If DC TV is smart, they'll sign him up to be Blue Beetle in a heartbeat. Aqualad Our pick: Tyler James Williams Ever since his first appearance in Young Justice, Kaldur'ahm (Aqualad) has become a fan-favorite hero. Considering Geoff Johns was one of the people who brought him over to the DC continuity under the name of Jackson Hyde, we'd say the chances are high that he'll appear in Titans. One of the talents who can bring depth and emotion to a live-action Aqualad is Tyler James Williams. Initially, he made a name for himself as the lead in the Chris Rock-inspired Everybody Hates Chris and has gone on to appear in The Walking Dead and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. At the age of 24, he'd complement the other proposed actors on this list and establish himself in the role for years to come. Tyler is a rising star and we're certain that he'd turn in a superstar performance as Aqualad. His schedule is filling up, so he needs to snatched up quickly if the producers want him. Act fast, ladies and gentlemen. Deathstroke Our pick: Manu Bennett Did you really think there could be anyone else? Forget about Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, because Manu Bennett is Slade Wilson. It's no coincidence that all of Arrow's best episodes have involved Manu in some way and he's stolen the show at every turn. If he hadn't shown up in the season 5 finale, we doubt anyone would've cared about it. Unfortunately, there's nothing left for him to do in the Arrowverse, so it would make perfect sense to utilize and bring him over to Titans, and let him do what he does best here. Guaranteed, if this casting happens, the fan interest in this show will spike immediately. We can't think of a single actor who embodies Slade as much as Manu does. He's proven himself as the supreme butt-kicking assassin on countless occasions and needs no introduction to the superhero TV audience. This is simply one casting that needs to happen. No excuses will be accepted if it doesn't. That's it for now, folks, but tell us, who would you cast for the Teen Titans TV series? Let us know your suggestions in the comments section down below.