Exclusive: Teen Titans Live-Action Movie In The Works
We've exclusively learned that Teen Titans is getting a live-action movie, bringing this group into the DC Extended Universe.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Teen Titans have been around for decades in the comic book pages, even garnering some animated series, animated movies, and television shows along the way. But for the most part, just like their sidekick personas, the group has had to sit mostly on the sidelines when it comes to huge feature-length films and franchises. That’s just the nature of the Teen Titans. They are an important part of the comic book landscape but often have played second banana when it comes to getting their own stories up on the big screen. They are sidekicks after all. But that looks like it’s set to change sooner than later.
Our trusted and proven source has it that Teen Titans are getting a live-action film and it’s in development now. This is major news around a group that could eventually spin off all manner of solo projects and stories. The possibilities around this new movie are nearly limitless with the ability to weave in new, and time-honored characters and establish new faces all while also making reference to the larger DC Universe as a whole.
It stands to reason that any live-action version of Teen Titans would start with the Robin character. This could be Dick Grayson who eventually assumes the identity of Nightwing and has been a leader of the group in the past. Through different iterations of the Teen Titans on the big and small screen, Robin, in some form, has been a mainstay. While often simply alluded to in other DC films, or ignored altogether, this would be a chance to firmly establish the character moving forward.
Dropping the Teen Titans into the DC Extended Universe would be no small feat but, from a narrative perspective, wouldn’t need any real retconning from previous movies. As I said, they’ve been mostly ignored except for a side glance from Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne at an empty Robin suit and a reference by Jared Leto’s Joker about killing Jason Todd. Otherwise, they’ve been mostly left out as DC ramps up its universe as a whole. .
If Warner Bros. was looking to quickly expand its ranks and add new characters to the DC Extended Universe, this is a way to do it in one fell swoop. And if the goal was to establish new faces while not necessarily staying derivative (Superboy, Kid Flash, Wondergirl, etc) there are plenty of other folks we could see in this new movie. Over the years, the Teen Titans have had many members, some more well-known than others like Starfire, Raven, and Dove to name a few.
This latter approach is the way Warner Bros. took the series Titans which premiered back in 2017 on HBO Max. It follows the titular group after they have been disbanded but are now working to get back together. Brenton Thwaites’s Dick Grayson is now a detective but is moonlighting as his new persona Nightwing. In addition to the characters above, we’ve also seen Jason Todd, Hawk, and Deathstroke enter the mix. It’s unclear if this new live-action film will bring this group specifically to the big screen, or reboot them all anew. Titans is set to release its third season in August.
Teen Titans have had their fair share of stories brought in various fashions over the years. Most popularly, Teen Titans Go! lasted for seven seasons on The Cartoon Network and then got the hilarious movie Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Mostly a send-up of the superhero movie genre, the film’s tone trends toward the humorous and sublime. It works perfectly for what it sets out to do but isn’t where one would start when trying to produce a live-action movie for the group.
While the world of superhero adaptations only seem to be ramping up these days, with new characters coming to the big and small screen seemingly every week, the sidekicks from the comic book pages continue to mostly sit on the sidelines. It’s why The Teen Titans have been such an interesting group in this space. For the most part, they have the name-brand recognition you’d want from a new, feature-length movie franchise, but it just hasn’t rounded into shape yet. Now, it looks like their time has come.
