For many, the start of a new year means being able to look forward and set a list of goals or projects you’re excited to take on. Geoff Johns, the chief creative officer for DC Comics and the head of its films division, is no different.
On New Year’s, Johns tweeted out five projects he was excited to see come to fruition in 2017. Alongside previously announced titles, like Injustice 2, Wonder Woman, and new episodes of DC shows, Johns confirmed he would return to write comics.
And 1) Writing comics again... stay tuned! Happy New Year!!! pic.twitter.com/zUvs4NIXhM
— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) January 1, 2017
The inclusion of Doctor Manhattan from “Watchmen” in the tweet is particularly interesting. In “DC Universe: Rebirth #1,” the last comic that Johns’ contributed to, the writer hinted that Doctor Manhattan may have possibly had a hand in the series’ timeline reboot. Since that issue was released in May, there have been references to “Watchmen” in other comics, including “Superman” and “The Flash.”
In July, DC co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio told Comic Book Resources that “Rebirth” would be a two-year event, and hinted that Johns would return to write the end. Based on their comments and Johns’ tweet, it certainly seems to confirm that this will be the writer’s next project.
Johns announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Rebirth would be his final book for quite some time.
During his tweet storm, Johns also mentioned that alongside The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow, there would be a new DC series announced in the near future. On top of the CW’s lineup of superhero shows, there’s also Gotham and Lucifer on Fox, with Powerless set to premiere on NBC.
5) More #DCTV @CW_TheFlash @CW_Arrow @Gotham @TheCW_Legends @LuciferonFOX @TheCWSupergirl and many more! One which will be announced soon...
— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) January 1, 2017
The question that we’re left with is what the show will be and where it will air. Mark Pedowitz, president of the CW, confirmed this past summer that the network wasn’t interested in picking up any new superhero shows at this time.
“There are no real discussions about any more superhero characters," Pedowitz said. "We have built a universe where we get to see all of these characters interact with each other and we're proud of that. But at this time, there aren't any discussions for adding anything else to that.”
Our best guess is that Black Lightning will premiere this year. The series, which comes from Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl), follows Jefferson Pierce, a man who hung up his costume years ago. When his daughter becomes hellbent on fighting for justice and a star student gets recruited by a local gang, however, Pierce decides to don the costume once again and become Black Lightning.
The show got picked up by Fox last year, but there aren’t too many details surrounding it. It seems like Johns, Berlanti and DC are getting ready to make an announcement about the show’s premiere date and casting. Expect to hear more about this, if that’s the case, in the next few weeks.