The roster for the HBO Max’s Justice League Dark series from JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot has been revealed, possibly, by an insider in a 4th of July scoop.
This update comes to us from JLS Comics on YouTube, by way of the renowned Mikey Sutton, who reports Man-Bat and Detective Chimp are under consideration for the team.
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JLS, who admits to talking about Justice League Dark a lot, passed along Sutton’s latest scoop. An exclusive, it claims no characters are made official yet for Abrams’ streaming show, but one name that slipped out from a source is Detective Chimp.
Also known as Bobo, Det. Chimp shows they will “embrace the colorful weirdness and quirky wit of the comics,” says the scoop according to JLS. He “has the potential of being a scene-stealer and a meme generator,” which is an exciting prospect to the producers.
The hope is social media buzz will impel people to watch which sounds a bit like the effect new characters Babu Frik and BB-8 had on the Disney Star Wars trilogy.
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Around since the Silver Age, Det. Chimp was created by Carmine Infantino and John Broome. He possesses the intellect of a human that he uses to crack cases like Sherlock Holmes. The clever ape also patterns his attire after Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth.
He’s known for his affiliation with JLD but worked in the past with the regular Justice League, as well as the Bureau of Amplified Animals. JLS notes his appearance could foreshadow Chimp’s favored watering hole, The Oblivion Bar, becoming a hangout in the series.
The second bizarro character that leaked has close ties to Batman and is known for flapping around Gotham on leather wings. “Man-Bat is under serious consideration,” said Sutton, to “bring out the monstrous element of the franchise” and give the visual effects a chance to shine.
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Man-Bat first appeared in 1970 (Detective Comics #400) and is a perennial cult-favorite Rogue. The serum which created him has transformed many people but the most synonymous name with the creature is still Dr. Kirk Langstrom. Conducting experiments into giving people natural sonar, Langstrom was the first to take his elixir.
He’s been a recurring character over the years – especially in Batman: The Animated Series, starting with the first episode – and been revamped numerous times. His origin story remains essentially the same across most continuity; a brilliant scientist turns himself into a hideous monster.
Associated with the team and another featuring a similar line-up, Justice League Dark would be Man-Bat’s live-action debut. That almost came sooner in the late Joel Schumacher’s Batman Unchained, his proposed third installment in the franchise.
JLS has the feeling the beast’s connection to Madame Xanadu in comics portends a place for her in the group. She’s free with DC Universe’s Swamp Thing being axed prematurely. Zatanna, Animal Man, and Nightshade could be close behind.
Details about JLD are scarce but it is part of Abrams and Bad Robot’s first-look deal inked with Warner Bros. last year. The property is a wide and deep sandbox for him to play in and, per HBO Max Content Chief Kevin Reilly, one he will explore exclusively.
JLS speculates some characters – Wonder Woman, Batman, and surprisingly Swamp Thing and Phantom Stranger – might get passed over or be off-limits to the cast of characters.
No premiere date or start to production is slated yet for the project.