'Stargirl' TV Series Casts 'Community's Joel McHale as Starman

As DC Universe prepares to begin production on its live-action Stargirl series, Geoff Johns & Co. have found another star spangled hero to join their ranks.

According to a new report from Variety, the upcoming DC series has tapped Community star Joel McHale to play Sylvester Pemberton, aka Starman. The role will be influenced by the Golden Age version of the character, and he will appear in a recurring capacity throughout the show's first season.

If you aren't familiar, Starman has long been a member of DC's Justice Society of America. He uses a strange anti-gravity weapon that he calls "The Cosmic Staff," and has a sidekick named Stripsey. This is where his connection to Stargirl comes into play. Stripsey is known better by his alter ego, Pat Dugan, the stepfather to Stargirl herself, Courtney Whitmore.

This may sound confusing for longtime DC fans, as the character of Sylvester Pemberton is more widely known as the Star-Spangled Kid in the JSA. He never truly took on the mantle of Starman in the comics, but there was a period of time when the two characters shared a storyline. While Starman was injured, he passed his cosmic staff to Sylvester to fight in his place, hoping that the young hero would eventually serve as his successor.

Judging by the way the character is being described for the show, it sounds like he will be a mix of both the Star-Spangled Kid and Starman. In all likelihood, he will serve as a mentor of sorts for Stargirl.

Brec Bassinger will take on the lead role of Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl in the series. She's a high school student who inspires a group of young heroes to take on the villains from the past. Geoff Johns created the character in 1999, based on his late sister. Johns will pen the first episode of the series in addition to his role as executive producer.

What do you think of this new casting announcement? Are you excited for Stargirl? Let us know in the comments!