EXCLUSIVE

〉Two of DC’s fan favorite characters are finally coming to the big screen

UPDATED: Our buddies over at Heroic Hollywood now report that Zak Penn is being courted to leave Marvel’s camp for DC’s playpen, circling to script the Blue Beetle/Booster Gold team-up film.

Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, two DC Comics superheros that have long been rumored to appear in either an upcoming film or TV show, are now being groomed for a team-up feature from Warner Bros. Sources exclusive to The Tracking Board can now confirm that Greg Berlanti, the force behind the successful DC comics TV series Arrow and The Flash, will be heavily involved with this one, set to direct and executive produce. Sarah Schechter will also executive produce, while Julia Spiro will oversee for the studio.

In a massively different approach from Warner’s current slate, the film will team the two heroes together in what’s being pitched as a superhero buddy cop movie. Comedy is the emphasis here, which is a stark contrast to the other titles in DC’s Cinematic Universe, breaking the mold of the uber serious and grounded Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The Booster Gold/Blue Beetle team-up movie is only another in a long line from Warner, which is developing several crossover films for it’s DC characters, with Suicide Squad, Justice League, and Green Lantern Corps to name a few.

Consider Booster Gold the DC universe’s equivalent of Tony Stark, as he’s known for brandishing a similarly sized ego and even a trusty robot companion. Among DC readers, Booster is beloved for his snarky attitude, flashy nature, and reputation for being a showboat – in fact, the fan-favorite character even has corporate sponsors.

Booster Gold, AKA Michael Jon Carter, was a football hero and celebrity in the 25th Century who became publicly disgraced after he was caught gambling on his own games. With his reputation tarnished, Carter stole super-powered relics from the past and traveled back in time, with the plan to become a famous superhero. Though he began cocky, Booster eventually became a real hero.

While in college, tech-genius Ted Kord took a job working for his Uncle Jarvis, whom he eventually discovers is a mad scientist, bent on conquering the world with an army of androids. In order to try and stop this, he goes to one of his professors, the original Blue Beetle Dan Garret, and asks for his help. Jarvis and Dan die in the ensuing battle, but not before Garret reveals his identity to him and makes Ted promise to carry on his legacy. Without Garret’s superpowers, Kord uses his many inventions to carry on the Blue Beetle name and fight crime.

Booster and Blue Beetle frequently partner up in the comics and are close allies, often pulled into more comedic shenanigans. The dynamic duo are also members of the Justice League and are being planted now to appear in a future JL movie down the road.

Both characters have long been targeted for a screen adaptation, almost getting their own individual shows. Blue Beetle was even prepped to take the place of Smallville after that series ended, with test VFX footage shot, but the series never came to fruition. Speaking of Smallville, the characters appeared for the first time on screen on the series in an episode entitled “Booster.”

The superhero duo were long thought to appear on either The Flash or DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, though Legends showrunner Phil Klemmer recently hinted that something bigger could be in the pipeline, which we now know is the feature.

Berlanti’s a huge player in Warner’s DC realm, having nabbed a story credit on both the upcoming Flash and Green Lantern films, not to mention that he’s also behind the forthcoming Supergirl series. Though Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow are separate from the films, Berlanti is credited with provoking a renewed interest in DC characters and is the ideal choice to shepherd Booster Gold. The multi-faceted director, producer, and writer is a well-known fan of the character, having scripted the pilot for a potential Booster Gold series that was once being targeted by Syfy.

Berlanti has an established relationship the studio, as his Berlanti Productions has an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV. He also made his feature directorial debut with the studio’s comedy Life As We Know It and is next set to helm the Chris Pine drama Replay.

DC Entertainment is also producing.

Berlanti is repped by WME.

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Clark Allen | Associate Editor