The DC drama series Dead Boy Detectives is officially moving from HBO Max to Netflix per The Hollywood Reporter. In the wake of James Gunn and Peter Safran's installment as the heads of the DCU, sources say the show no longer had a place among their plans for the future of the brand which includes a number of interconnected shows that all fit into their larger universe. Executives at HBO Max were also comfortable moving on from the series considering it wasn't going to be a marketable property for them until 2024, leaving Warner Bros Television open to explore a deal elsewhere.
The result is somewhat fitting considering Netflix's own recent history. Last year, the streamer introduced the first season of their adaptation of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman's beloved comic series which Dead Boy Detectives spun off from. Gaiman penned the spinoff, working alongside Matt Wagner to create a more macabre horror tale about dead children Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland who investigate supernatural crimes from the afterlife with help of Crystal Palace, their living friend with psychic abilities. Steve Yockey of The Flight Attendant fame is adapting the series and serving as showrunner alongside Beth Schwartz. The series is a collaboration between Warner Bros. and Berlanti Productions with Jeremy Carver, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden all producing under the latter banner.
Leading Dead Boy Detectives will be George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, and Kassius Nelson as Edwin, Charles, and Crystal respectively with Briana Cuoco, Alexander Calvert, Yuyu Kitamura, Jenn Lyon, and, most recently, Lukas Gage all rounding out the cast. Notably, Ruth Connell is also on board and set to reprise her role as the Night Nurse from Doom Patrol.
Dead Boy Detectives Is the Latest DC Series Impacted by Gunn and Safran
In the wake of Gunn and Safran's arrival, many DC series have either met their end or been displaced as the company looks to turn the page. This is especially true of any Berlanti-produced projects. Aside from Dead Boy Detectives, Berlanti was also behind the recently-canceled Doom Patrol and Titans, and he was taken off of the Green Lantern series which Gunn and Safran are expected to give a facelift in their revisit. Pennyworth was another recent victim of the shakeup, ending after three seasons on HBO Max.
Berlanti's role in the new DC is essentially non-existent, but that won't mean he's not going to continue producing for the company as he's still under a massive overall deal with Warner Bros. Moreover, he's been attached as a producer of several series that the company has since dealt to other platforms with the most notable being fellow Netflix series You. The drama starring Penn Badgley has far surpassed its Lifetime days, quickly becoming one of the streamer's most-watched and highest-regarded series. Netflix is hoping to benefit once again from its dealings with Warner Bros. and score another winner with Dead Boy Detectives.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Dead Boy Detectives following its move to Netflix.