Titans (2018 TV series)

A potential live-action Titans project for cable channel TNT was announced in September 2014.[40] By December 2014, a pilot written by Akiva Goldsman and Marc Haimes had been ordered that would feature Dick Grayson emerging from Batman's shadow to become Nightwing, the leader of a band of heroes including Starfire, Raven, Hawk and Dove, and Oracle. The pilot was set with filming to occur in Toronto in mid-2015.[41][42] In May 2015, TNT president Kevin Reilly said that they hoped to have the casting locked down by the start of filming and that the show would be "very true" to the comics and "groundbreaking".[43] The series, called Titans and then Blackbirds, was first set to begin shooting in Toronto in mid-2015.[44] Production was then postponed to October.[45] In January 2016, it was announced that TNT would no longer be moving forward with the project.[46][47] In February 2016, Geoff Johns stated "We [at DC] have known about [TNT nixing Titans] for months and months and months. That's not new news to us. We have plans for Titans. It's a huge piece of DC and we have plans."[48] Johns, who had spent seven years developing the material with Goldsman, said in October 2018 that the project depended on securing the rights to Dick Grayson.[49] He said, "You couldn't do Titans without Robin ... So there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went into that."[49] Previous Titans projects had been hampered by the rights to Batman being locked up.[49]

In April 2017, Warner Bros. announced that Titans would debut in 2018 on DC Comics' own direct-to-consumer digital service. The series is developed by Goldsman, Johns, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, with Goldsman, Johns and Berlanti writing the pilot episode. Showrunner duties were given to Greg Walker.[50] All are also executive producers of the series for Weed Road Pictures and Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.[51] Though twelve episodes were initially announced,[52] the eleventh episode was billed as the first-season finale in December 2018.[53][54]

Ahead of the series' premiere at New York Comic Con in October 2018, Titans was renewed for a second season[55] and the elements of the twelfth episode of the first season were moved to the second season's premiere.[56] The 13-episode second season premiered on September 6, 2019.[57] Production of season 2 was temporarily put on hold in July 2019 due to the accidental death of special effects coordinator Warren Appleby; the season 2 premiere is dedicated in his memory.[58][59]

DC confirmed a third season in November 2019, which was scheduled to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2020,[60][61] but was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[62] For the third season, DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee announced that the series would be moving to HBO Max.[63][64] At the DC FanDome in August 2020, Walker revealed that the third season will take place in Gotham City and feature appearances from Red Hood, Jonathan Crane, and Barbara Gordon.[65][66]

A fourth season was announced at DC FanDome in October 2021.[67]

Johns noted the series was inspired mostly by the Teen Titans comics of the 1980s, since that comic's run "had so much drama" and "was so revolutionary for its time". He added, "We really wanted to lean into the idea that every Titan of these Titans is a doorway into another genre. With Rachel [a.k.a. Raven], it's the supernatural and the horror, and the first season really focuses on who Raven is and how the Titans galvanize around her." Johns also felt the series would be "a little more adult" than the television series Riverdale, calling it "not necessarily a teen drama, [but] more of an adventure piece".[68] He said that tonally, "We wanted to do something different from everything else out there. We wanted to arrive at a tone that wasn't as welcoming as some of the DC shows have been, nor as nihilistic as some of the films have been."[49] Goldsman said that as the series continues, it will ask "How are these broken people going to cohere? Or will they?"[49] Johns noted that Robin's infamous line in the pilot—"Fuck Batman"—was a late addition to the script.[49] Thwaites said of the line, "I thought it was perfect ... This is not a show about Batman. It's a show about Dick."[49]

In early August 2017, Teagan Croft was cast as Rachel Roth,[10] followed at the end of the month with the casting of Anna Diop as Kory Anders,[8] and Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson.[4][5] Ahead of the series premiere, Diop reduced her presence on social media because of racist attacks towards her casting.[69][70][71] The main cast for the first season would be rounded out by Ryan Potter as Gar Logan, who was announced in October 2017.[12] In early September 2017, Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly were cast in the recurring roles of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, respectively.[20][18] By the end of the month, Lindsey Gort had been cast as Amy Rohrbach.[72] In January 2018, Seamus Dever was cast in an undisclosed role that would later be revealed as Trigon,[73] and a month later, members of the Doom Patrol were announced with Bruno Bichir as the Chief,[74] April Bowlby as Rita Farr,[75] Jake Michaels as Cliff Steele,[76] and Dwain Murphy as Larry Trainor.[77] Curran Walters and Conor Leslie appear as Jason Todd and Donna Troy, respectively.[14][16] In August 2018, Elliot Knight was cast as Don Hall.[78]

In February 2019, it was announced that Joshua Orpin had been cast as Conner for season two.[27] After the character was teased by Johns,[79] Esai Morales was cast as Deathstroke in March 2019,[22] with Chella Man and Chelsea Zhang announced as his children Jericho and Rose.[80][24] Iain Glen was cast as Bruce Wayne on April 11, 2019. Actors and stuntmen Alain Moussi and Maxime Savaria portrayed Batman in the first-season finale.[81] In June 2019, Natalie Gumede and Drew Van Acker were cast as Mercy Graves and Garth, respectively.[82][83] In July 2019, Genevieve Angelson was announced as Cadmus Laboratories scientist Dr. Eve Watson.[84] In August 2019, Michael Mosley was revealed to be portraying Dr. Light.[85] The same month, Olunike Adeliyi announced on her Instagram she had joined the cast in an undisclosed role that was later revealed as burlesque dancer Mati Matisse[86] and Hanneke Talbot was revealed to be Shimmer.[87][88] In September 2019, Demore Barnes was revealed to be portraying Wintergreen.[89] Following the character's appearance in an October 2019 trailer, Diop confirmed on her Instagram that Damaris Lewis would be portraying Kory's sister Blackfire,[34] which was also confirmed by Lewis.[35]

During filming of the third season in January 2021, it was announced that Savannah Welch would portray Barbara Gordon.[30] Jay Lycurgo was also revealed to be playing Tim Drake.[90] In April 2021, it was announced that Vincent Kartheiser had joined the cast as Dr. Jonathan Crane.[32]

In January 2022, Joseph Morgan, Franka Potente, and Lisa Ambalavanar were announced as season 4 villains Brother Blood, Mother Mayhem, and Jinx, respectively.[37] Titus Welliver was revealed to be playing Lex Luthor in September 2022.[91] The same month, Brec Bassinger revealed she would reprise her role as Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl from the series Stargirl.[92]

Filming for the first season began on November 15, 2017, in Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario,[93][94] concluding on June 28, 2018.[95] Filming for the second season began on April 2, 2019,[96] and concluded on October 8, 2019.[97] Production was put on hold due to the July 18 accidental death of special effects coordinator Warren Appleby before resuming.[58][59] After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, filming for the third season began on October 13, 2020, and concluded on June 15, 2021.[98][99][100] Filming for the fourth season began on February 28, 2022, and concluded on September 30, 2022.[101][102]

After the first episode was screened on October 3, 2018, at New York Comic Con, Titans officially premiered on October 12, 2018.[52] The first season comprised eleven episodes[53] and each episode was released weekly on DC Universe until the season finale aired on December 21, 2018.[103] Outside the United States, the first season became available for streaming via Netflix on January 11, 2019.[104][105] The first season was rebroadcast by TNT, beginning on July 12, 2021.[106]

The second season premiered on September 6, 2019, and concluded on November 29, 2019, comprising 13 episodes.[107] Outside the United States, the second season became available for streaming via Netflix on January 10, 2020.[108]

The third season premiered on HBO Max on August 12, 2021.[109][110] Outside the United States, season 3 arrived on Netflix on December 8, 2021.[111]

The fourth season premiere on November 3, 2022.[112] It will include 12 episodes.[113][38]

The first season of Titans was released digitally on March 21, 2019,[114] and on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 16, 2019.[115] The second season was released digitally and on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 3, 2020.[116] The third season was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 25, 2022.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Titans holds an approval rating of 78%, with an average rating of 6.70 out of 10 based on 46 reviews. The site's critical consensus states, "Despite a few tonal growing pains, Titans does justice to its source material and truly shines when its titular ensemble finally assembles."[117] Metacritic gave the series' first season a score of 55 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[118]

Susana Polo of Polygon praised Titans for "tempering brutal violence and dark subject matter with humor—and by giving its characters plenty of time to stretch, breathe and become attached to one another".[121] Charlie Ridgely of ComicBook.com wrote that Diop "conveys so much wonder and intrigue with her subtle and genuine expressions, but there is a consistent fierceness and tenacity that is always lurking just beneath the surface."[122] Rosie Knight of Nerdist wrote that the "cast is at the core of what makes Titans so enjoyable", while giving praise to the script as well.[123] Forbes contributor Merrill Barr compared the show to The CW's Riverdale, describing it as "a dark and gritty series very far removed from the image the Teen Titans have garnered through a variety of animated outings over the last decade". Barr found that viewers "that take the tone in stride are going to find themselves in the middle of a series dialed directly into their interests".[124] Rob Salkowitz of Forbes wrote that Titans "somehow managed to deliver on the dark-and-foreboding tone that the early DC movies so conspicuously got wrong".[125]

Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant was critical of the show's excessive violence, writing that Titans "doesn't put forward any new or particularly compelling thoughts about its characters or about superheroes in general".[126] Similarly, Vinnie Mancuso of Collider said that "if you're just a fan of some good old-fashioned ultra-violence and moody storytelling, this simply isn't a well-done example of that".[127]

The second season holds an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews. Its critical consensus reads, "Though Titans's sophomore season suffers from a slight slump at the start, it quickly resets itself, building on the momentum from its first season while laying fascinating framework for where the show could go."[119]

The third season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.20 out of 10, based on 20 reviews. Its critical consensus reads, "With bolder storytelling and deeper characterization, Titans' third season hits the show's sweet spot to deliver the best season yet."[120]

In May 2018, DC Universe announced the live-action series Doom Patrol had received a direct-to-series order as an intended spin-off to Titans. Despite the initial order and sharing characters and actors, however, Doom Patrol occupies a separate continuity.[132][133][134] Developed by Jeremy Carver (who wrote the pilot) for Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions, the series features the Chief, Cliff Steele, Larry Trainor, Vic Stone, Rita Farr, and Jane as the members of eponymous Doom Patrol. April Bowlby, Matt Bomer, and Brendan Fraser reprise their roles as Rita, the voice of Larry, and the voice of Cliff, while Matthew Zuk and Riley Shanahan replace Dwain Murphy and Jake Michaels for the physical portrayals of Larry and Cliff[135] and Timothy Dalton replaces Bruno Bichir as the Chief.[136] The cast was joined by Diane Guerrero as Jane and Joivan Wade as Vic. Production began August 2018[137][138] and the series premiered on February 15, 2019.[139]

The incarnations of Rita, Larry, and Cliff from Doom Patrol were intended to appear in Titans' original season 1 finale. After the original finale was pulled from the season, the appearances were removed.[140][141]

The Titans incarnations of Hank Hall, Jason Todd, Rachel Roth, Kory Anders, and Dawn Granger make cameo appearances in the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths", with Alan Ritchson, Curran Walters, Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, and Minka Kelly appearing in their respective roles through archival footage. The event depicts Titans as being set on the world of Earth-9.[142] Brec Bassinger will appear in the fourth season reprising her role as Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl from Stargirl; that series exists on Earth-2 of the Arrowverse multiverse.[92]