New Gods Director Ava DuVernay Developing DC Comics' Naomi for The CW

Director Ava DuVernay is sticking around in the world of DC! In addition to developing her New Gods movie for the big screen at WarnerMedia and working on the adaptation of DMZ for HBO, the Emmy winner has been tapped to bring the DC Comics project Naomi to life on The CW. Created by Brian Michael Bendis (among his first creations after joining the ranks at DC), David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell, the character first appeared just last year in her own self titled series and quickly crossed paths with DC heavy hitters like Superman. The character hails from an alternate Earth from our own, sent her to protect it from the madman that destroyed her home world.

The official logline for the TV series reads (H/T The Wrap): "'Naomi' follows a teen girl's journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes." DuVernay will executive produce the series and co-write it with Jill Blankesnhip (Arrow). Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes will also produce the series through DuVernay's Array Filmworks banner.

The key difference in Naomi's storyline and other heroes of the DCU is that she lives and mostly operates in a small town, which was one of key elements for Bendis when creating the character. In a previous interview with ComicBook.com back in 2018, the Eisner winner said:

"Our first instance was to take her story into a place that you don't normally see in the DC Universe, or you know exists. came from my deep reading last year of the whole history of the DC Comics and all the big storylines. And when you read them in a row you'll find out, "Oh, this happened in Metropolis, Gotham, Metropolis, Gotham, Star City, Metropolis, Gotham, Metropolis, Gotham, Coast City.' And so there's all these places that the story still has yet to go because the main places of the DC Universe are so fun and so exciting to be, right?"

With the ending of Supergirl and Black Lightning already confirmed at The CW (plus Arrow's conclusion earlier this year), the network was in need of a new crop of DC shows to bring to air. Naomi joins a roster that includes The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Superman & Lois.