Things may have been quiet on the news front, but development on HBO Max‘s Justice League Dark series with J.J. Abrams hasn’t gone dark just yet!
First announced last April, Justice League Dark is an all-new streaming series based on the DC Comics comic book series of the same name. The series follows a team of arcane supernatural characters who are tied to mysticism and magic. They work together in an effort to save the day from dark and mysterious threats that wouldn’t really fall under the regular Justice League‘s purview. The series is one part of a three series deal that director J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath signed with Warner Bros. for the HBO Max subscription streaming platform.
While in the process of answering questions for TVLine, Matt Webb Mitovich was able to confirm that HBO Max is still in fact working on a Justice League Dark series with J.J. Abrams.
Since the show was first announced, very little information has been provided as to what fans can expect from it. Even the team’s roster for this project is almost entirely a mystery! In the comic books, previously seen members of Justice League Dark include John Constantine, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Madame Xanadu, Etrigan The Demon, Deadman, Shade, Manbat, Doctor Fate, Black Orchid, and Frankenstein (yes really) among others.
No team members have been officially confirmed for this series. However, many are speculating that both Constantine and Zatanna will be involved as those characters are each supposed to be getting their own solo HBO Max series in Abrams’ three-series deal. Beyond that, it’s anybody’s best guess as to who else from the DC Universe may show up! Abrams certainly has enough characters to choose from with the vast history of the team.
This is far from the first time Warner Bros. has tried to develop the Justice League Dark license. The franchise has a lengthy history of being trapped in development hell since the brand was first launched back in 2011 as part of DC Comics ‘New 52‘ universal continuity reset. Names previously attached to Justice League Dark film when it was being developed include Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim) and Doug Liman (The Edge Of Tomorrow), who both unfortunately departed the project due to scheduling conflicts.
A direct-to-video animated film based on Justice League Dark did make it through production and was released back in 2017 to solid reviews. A follow-up film, titled Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, released in 2020 and brought an end to the ongoing DC Animation Universe story. It is still possible we may see further animated films tackling these characters, but in a separate continuity.
Are you excited to see what the future holds for J.J. Abrams first DC Comics based series on HBO Max? What characters are you hoping to see appear in the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, on Facebook, or on Twitter, and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more Justice League Dark updates!
