Charlize Theron to Produce DC ‘Aqualad’ Adaptation for HBO Max
It’ll be based on the ‘Young Justice’ character and the graphic novel ‘You Brought Me the Ocean’.
Jackson Hyde/Aqualad from DC Comics. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.
Having seen success with ‘Peacemaker’ (not to mention the sprawling universe of other superhero shows across several different platforms), DC and HBO Max are teaming up with Charlize Theron to produce new graphic novel adaptation ‘You Brought Me the Ocean’, which will introduce the origin story of DC’s Aqualad to live-action.
Well, at least this version – this being a comic book title, there have been more than one. Still, the Jake Hyde version of Aqualad first debuted in 2010 and was created by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman, and Phil Bourassa for the animated series ‘Young Justice.’, where he was voiced by Khary Payton.
A comic book version of the character simultaneously debuted in ‘Brightest Day #4.’ He also goes by the name Kaldur’ahm, and it was later revealed that he is the son of the supervillain Black Manta.
The HBO Max series will be based on characters from DC and the graphic novel by Alex Sanchez and Jul Maroh. This new show will explore the life of Jackson “Jake” Hyde, a gay teenager living in New Mexico. All his life, he has had a strange attraction to the water and yearns to escape his desert surroundings for the ocean. As he explores his abilities, including breathing under and controlling water, he also finds himself falling in love with his classmate, high school swim captain Kenny Liu. Hyde has since become the second Aquaman in the DC canon.
Charlize Theron in 2017's 'Atomic Blonde.'
It's good to see more forward progress with LGBTQA+ issues in pop culture, and DC has been making some strides in that regard and ‘Young Justice’ has been on the forefront of that.
DC is also everywhere in terms of TV – between the CW’s “Arrowverse” (with ‘The Flash’, ‘Batwoman’, ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ and ‘Superman & Lois’ still on the air), the various animated outings and HBO Max series such as ‘Titans’ (where a different version of the Aqualad character, named Garth has appeared, played by played by Drew Van Acker), ‘Harley Quinn’ and ‘Doom Patrol’ – the company has spread its wings further than even Marvel has attempted thus far.
And the company is expanding its roster yet again with series spawned from movies including those based on ‘The Batman’ and another show from James Gunn that will complement ‘Peacemaker’. And should more of the character’s ‘Young Justice’ team members make the jump to live-action, we could see a whole new generation of heroes ready to conquer TV screens and potentially arrive on the big screen too.
Theron is no stranger to comic book adaptations – most recently, she starred in Netflix movie ‘The Old Guard’, which has a sequel in the works. And she’s also been active as a producer, working on TV and movie projects. Next up for her in acting terms is ‘The School for Good and Evil,' which will be on Netflix this year.
