DC Comics' Metropolis TV Series Being Redeveloped

Today DC and Warner Bros.' upcoming "DC Universe" streaming service was officially announced, along with the lineup of highly-anticipated original series debuting on the service, which include the live-action Titans series and the return of Young Justice. However, one title that was noticeably absent form the DC Universe programming slate was Metropolis, the prequel series whose production was being touted heavily, earlier this year.

According to the DC Universe breakdown over at Deadline, Metropolis has been pulled from the slate, and will be "redeveloped" by the studio. That's a big reconsideration, as Metropolis had already been given a 13-episode order and was headed straight to series.

In case this is the first time you're hearing about the project, here's the original premise for what Metropolis was going to be:

"Set in the so-called City of Tomorrow before the arrival of Superman, Metropolis follows Lois Lane and Lex Luthor as they investigate the world of fringe science and expose the city's dark and bizarre secrets."

No telling what the redeveloped idea will entail. Metropolis was set to have its pilot written and directed by Gotham alums John Stephens and Danny Cannon, which is why the premise sounded so similar to that alternative take on Batman's origin. Metropolis would've similarly used major supporting characters from a superhero's mythos to fill an entire show about life in the superhero's home city before the hero ever arrived. Its remained a controversial approach to DC material since Gotham first aired, and with show's ratings showing signs of cooling off, one has to wonder if it's still an approach that DC wants to go with.

The other thing that we have to wonder is a factor is the other DC Superman prequel show that's on right now: Krypton. Fan response to Krypton has generally been good, so one has to wonder if that response may have prompted changes in Metropolis. While all of the DC Universe shows have (so far) been presented as standalones, we also have to wonder if more interconnectivity may be in the plans, which would also force something like Metropolis to undergo some creative changes.

We'll know more as DC/WB begins to promote the DC Universe service. Be sure to stay tuned to Comicbook.com's DC homepage for the latest - and let us know in the comments if Metropolis is something you'd be interested in!

Stay tuned for details on when DC Universe will launch.