Barring Young Justice, I was never really one to indulge in the adventures of adolescent heroes, but I’ve long been intrigued by the notion of a live action Titans series nonetheless. Like some of you, I feel that there exist many DC heroes and villains who are overdue for exposure outside of comics and animation.
Excitement aside, I must admit that I was somewhat put off by the needlessly dark and bloody trailer that debuted not long ago, especially the now infamous “f–k Batman line” spoken by Robin. I mean, I’m well aware of how the two went their separate ways for a bit in previous tellings of the story, but something about that piece of dialogue said “trying too hard” to me.
Once again chiming in on that is producer Geoff Johns, who had this to say about what’s to come with that particular dynamic while speaking with CBR:
“You know, a big part of the series is exploring — and I’m doing that with Akiva Goldsman, Greg Berlanti and Greg Walker — and a big part of the series that we’re exploring is the moment that Robin left Batman. In the Titans, he was kind of a lost character. He was looking for what his next thing was, and the Titans individually are all lost and they form a family — a surrogate family that’s… you know, we’re staying true to Marv [Wolfman] and Geroge [Perez]’s take on the Titans in that sense. But you’re going to see what Robin’s gone through and why he’s gotten to that point and I’m excited for people to see it. I don’t think they really quite know what the show is, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Naturally, I’m going to give the series a chance because of my love for Dick Grayson – and there’s also the fact that I’m clinging to some thread of hope that the next phase of the show will yield his transition to becoming Nightwing. Though my gut tells me such a thing may be reserved for the silver screen, you couldn’t ask for a more opportune time to introduce the concept to the live action realm.
Wishes of a lifelong Batfan notwithstanding, Titans is set to premiere on Friday, October 12th on DC Universe. As for the streaming service itself, that’ll launch on Saturday, September 15th.