RUMOR ALERT: Take this information with a grain of salt, as it is strictly RUMOR at this point!
Fans have been speculating that the DC Universe streaming service may be living on borrowed time, as more and more corporations are jumping into the streaming game, and are offering some high-profile projects from top-notch creators at competitive prices. The latest RUMOR seems to lend further credence to the widely-held belief that Warner Brothers’ extremely limited DC Universe, which is not well-priced at $7.99 a month, was going to wind up a casualty. This is especially logical considering that parent company Warner Brothers is launching one of these larger, more appealing services, HBO Plus.
RELATED: The Launch Of HBO Max Won’t Impact DC Universe… For Now
The latest RUMOR that reinforces this idea is the buzz that ‘Stargirl’, the long-in-development live-action series that was announced prior to the launch of DC Universe, will be shifted over to The CW. Since DC Universe shows are kind of R-rated (at least ‘Titans’ is), the episodes will have to be re-cut to eliminate any curse words and what-not. It sounds like they need to be shortened as well.
This news comes from Jeff Sneider (Collider):
This week’s RUMOR OF THE WEEK, and I do stress RUMOR: The DC series STARGIRL is heading to the CW, so episodes will have to be recut to fit the network’s broadcast standards, though uncut eps could make their way onto HBO Max down the line. 40-minute mark: https://t.co/mXWon1abPR
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) October 18, 2019
DC Universe’s second live-action series, ‘Doom Patrol’ has already been announced as having its second season released simultaneously on DC Universe and HBO Max, so there is already some synergy building there.
RELATED: ‘Stargirl’ Casting Descriptions Hint At New Villains And Possible Heroes
HBO Max carries a somewhat hefty price tag of $14.99 a month, but is offering a very competitive selection of catalog and original programming. Of course, HBO Max will be going up against Disney+ ($6.99/month), Apple TV+ ($4.99/month), Peacock (no price yet), and more, not to mention the current rulers, Netflix ($9-$15.99/month), Hulu ($5.99-$11.99/month), and Amazon Prime ($12.99/month).
As for ‘Stargirl’:
High school sophomore Courtney Whitmore who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new DC Universe series reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in a fun, exciting and unpredictable series premiering in 2019, produced by Warner Bros. Television, Mad Ghost Productions and Berlanti Productions.
Brec Basinger stars as Stargirl, a.k.a. Courtney Whitmore, with Meg Delacy as Shiv/Cindy Burman, Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Hourman/Rex Tyler, Neil Hopkins as Sportsmaster/Lawrence Crock, Nelson Lee as The Dragon King, Joel McHale as Starman/Sylvester Pemberton, Joy Osmanski as The Tigress/Paula Crock, Trae Romano as Mike Dugan, Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore Dugan, Brian Stapf as Wildcat/Ted Grant, Henry Thomas as Doctor Mid-Nite/Charles McNider, and Luke Wilson as Stripesy/S.T.R.I.P.E./Pat Dugan, plus Christopher James Baker, Cameron Gellman, Neil Jackson, Hina Khan, Yvette Monreal, Hunter Sansone, Jake Austin Walker, and Anjelika Washington.
If ‘Stargirl’ shifts over to The CW, it will join ‘The Flash’, ‘Batwoman’, ‘Supergirl’, ‘Black Lightning’, and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, which already dominate a large chunk of the network’s prime time programming. (‘Arrow’ ends in December.)
Do you subscribe to DC Universe? How would you feel if it goes away?