Netflix and Warner Bros. may have reportedly have issues recently, but it seems that hasn’t stopped the streamer picking up an HBO Max reject.
The obliteration of HBO Max’s DCU plans late last year left many projects either canceled or in a limbo while they were shopped to other streamers. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that one of those shows has now been picked up by Netflix, where it could potentially link up with another Warner Bros. TV property, The Sandman. Dead Boy Detectives comes from the mind of Neil Gaiman, and the comic book series has a certain number of ties to Gaiman’s Sandman, meaning that a move to Netflix could potentially work out better than if it had stayed at HBO Max.
Dead Boy Detectives was originally green lit by HBO Max back in 2021 and according to reports at the time the pilot episode was set to be filmed in November that year. Although the characters had already appeared as part of HBO Max series Doom Patrol, the lead roles of Charles Rowland and Edward Payne were recast with Jayden Revri and George Rexstrew taking over the respective parts from Doom Patrol’s Ty Tennant and Sabastian Croft .
The switch in platform has been reportedly due to the show not fitting with the high-level view of the new DCU plans that have recently been set in motion at DC Studios. The change means that Dead Boy Detectives will be the latest Warner Bros. TV to join Netflix, and the real question is whether other DC projects could be heading Netflix’s way with it.
HBO Max’s Loss Could Certainly Be Netflix’s Gain.
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When Warner Bros. Discovery began culling their slate of TV shows and movies in the latter half of 2022, there were many projects impacted that were directly linked to DC Comics, either as a direct DCU project or as one of the other DC properties that make up their vast amount of content. Dead Boy Detectives was just one of the shows coming from Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti that was caught up in the change of focus on the world of DC, with the other one being Green Lantern Corps, which ended up being scrapped in favour of DC Studios series, Lanterns.
Although there have been reports that the relationship between Netflix and Warner Bros. has been on rocky ground in the last few months, it seems that this rough patch could now be behind them. That could lead to more shows heading over to Netflix in the future, and that could only be good news for Netflix in the long term.
While it took a long time for Netflix to renew The Sandman, the arrival of Dead Boy Detectives could also be a big sign of Netflix having more than just a season two plan for the Neil Gaiman fantasy. If they can manage to tie the two shows together, then it could help to flesh out Gaiman’s comic book worlds in a way that can draw in more viewers and give Netflix another big franchise to add to their arsenal. With the likes of Stranger Things coming to an end, and other fantasy shows having been canceled after failing to attract enough interest, it could be just the boost the streamer needs.
