2018’s planned Titans TV show has it’s Beast Boy — and it’s Big Hero 6‘s Ryan Potter.
For several weeks, a casting notice (after the jump) had circulated among Asian American acting circles suggesting that Titans show runners were seeking an Asian American actor for the role of series regular “Jax”, described as a 13-15 year old Asian male. The character is described as “funny, self-deprecating, and charming” leading fans to suspect that the role was for the team’s Beast Boy.
In the comics, Beast Boy (also known as Changeling) is the superhero alter-ego of teenager Garfield “Gar” Mark Logan. With characteristic green skin and hair — a residual effect of the serum that also gave him his superhero abilities as a child — Beast Boy can transform into any animal of his choice.
Throughout his sixty year comic book history, Beast Boy has been a staple member of the Teen Titans, as well as a member of the Doom Patrol. As a Titan, Beast Boy has appeared in several iterations of the team, including in the recent spin-off cartoons Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, as well as in various DC Animated Universe films and TV series. In all of these versions, Beast Boy has been the team’s jokester and comic relief, but also a character who has been at times romantically linked to fellow Titans Terra and Raven.
Potter joins the rest of the live-action Titans series regulars who have already been announced. Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gods of Egypt) will play Dick Grayson, the team’s leader and Batman’s former protege. Anna Diop (24: Legacy) will play Koriand’r, a Tamaran princess who escapes an attempted coup on her home planet by seeking safety on Earth. Teagan Croft (The Osiris Child) will play the half-demon empath, Raven.
The series will also feature recurring performances by Alan Ritchson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Hawk and Minka Kelly (500 Days of Summer) as Dove, presumably the Titans’ superhero mentors.
Titans is planned to air next year as part of a launch for a dedicated DC Universe streaming service, and is the latest installment of a planned DC live-action universe referred to as the “Berlanti-verse” after series showrunner Greg Berlanti. Other projects that are part of the Berlanti-verse are Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
