It appears that Warner Bros is expanding their catalogue of DCEU shows on HBO Max. This time they’re developing a series based on Aqualad – and it’ll be inspired by the graphic novel You Brought Me the Ocean. As fans of the young adult graphic novel know, it presents a version of Aqualad that happens to be gay.
This information, which comes via Variety, describes the series as a “live-action, one-hour dramedy.” It also appears to have no relation to James Wan’s Aquaman or Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the character. Of course, that may change as development on the series continues.
Here’s how the setup for the project is described…
“The series will explore the life of Jackson ‘Jake’ Hyde, a gay teenager living in New Mexico. All his life, he has had a strange attraction to the water and yearns to escape his desert surroundings for the ocean. As he explores his abilities, including breathing under and controlling water, he also finds himself falling in love with his classmate, high school swim captain Kenny Liu.”
As of this writing there is no writer attached to the project. However, Charlize Theron has been listed as an executive producer for the Aqualad series alongside A.J. Dix, Beth Kono, and Andrew Haas of Denver & Delilah Films. The studio involved with the HBO Max series is Warner Bros. Television.
The character Aqualad has had a wide range of iterations over the years. The Jake Hyde iteration that will be featured in this upcoming series was first introduced in the animated series Young Justice. This version of the character was voiced by Khary Payton. At the same time, a version of the character was introduced to the comic books in Brightest Day #4. Now that the character will be receiving their own live-action HBO Max series based on You Brought Me the Ocean, it goes to show just how eager DC is to expand their brand. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for more updates as we have them.