Brave CW Makes Bold Casting: Hawkgirl & Rip Hunter
More casting news from the Arrow/Flash universe: the new spinoff (which has yet to go public with a title) now has added Ciara Renée and Arthur Darvill to the cast, bringing to live action two DC Comics characters for the first time.
Renée will play Kendra Saunders, a young woman who learns that she’s been repeatedly reincarnated over the centuries. When provoked, her ancient warrior persona manifests itself, turning Saunders into Hawkgirl.
Hawkgirl has figured prominently in the animated Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and the Shayera Hall version was featured in flashback scenes during Smallville, although not in costume. Her mate, Hawkman/Carter Hall, was played by Michael Shanks. Feel free to speculate if he’ll show up, since the reincarnation story depends greatly on the curse on the couple and their unending love for each other.
There are actually two versions of Kendra Saunders over at DC Comics: the pre-New52 version committed suicide and was possessed by the spirit of Shiera Hall, the Hawkgirl with the reincarnation back-story. The New52 Kendra is Hawkgirl on Earth-2, a parallel universe that’s home to Jay Garrick’s Flash and Alan Scott’s Green Lantern. Many of the “Golden Age” superheroes have inhabited Earth-2 in past incarnations of the DC Comics multiverse.
Darvill jumps back into time travel, going from companion to time master as he takes the role of Rip Hunter.
Hunter has had many incarnations, being revised over time to fit the circumstances of the various publication eras. Originally the leader of a team of time travelers, Hunter was featured in 29 issues of Rip Hunter…Time Master from 1961 to 1965. In later versions, he’s fought alongside the Challengers of the Unknown, Swamp Thing, and the Justice League in his role as guardian of the time stream. He disappeared during the events of DC’s Flashpoint Paradox, which established the New52 as the current story universe.
Renée and Darvill join a cast that includes Brandon Routh (Arrow‘s Ray Palmer/The Atom), Wentworth Miller (The Flash‘s Leonard Snart/Captain Cold), Dominic Purcell (The Flash’s Mick Rory/Heat Wave), Victor Garber (Dr. Martin Stein) and Caity Lotz as (we assume) a resurrected Sara Lance.
Given the choices in casting, and after getting some hints from Stephen Amell at Planet Comicon, it seems the CW is going all-in with a television superhero team. The only question is whether this will be a TV Justice Society, Justice League, The Brave & The Bold, or The Outsiders.
Which title do you think is the most likely?
