DC fans have some big news to look forward to this week. In a story according to Variety, Dead Boy Detectives is a series based on characters created by Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book) and Matt Wagner (Mage). The upcoming series has been picked up for an eight-episode run on the streaming platform, with HBO Max having ordered a pilot for the show last fall.
Writer of the pilot episode and showrunner for the upcoming series Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendent) announced his excitement for the project in a statement, saying: “I’ve been obsessed with this comic for a long time, so it’s a true passion project. And Jeremy, Berlanti Productions, DC, WBTV, HBO Max — they’re all encouraging me to run with every wild, bizarre, and unsettling choice. The result is going to be really dark fun.” Also joining Yockey as executive producers are Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol), Sarah Schechter (Free Guy), and Greg Berlanti of Berlanti Productions.
The series is supposedly meant to be a ghost story reminiscent of The Graveyard Book (another work by Neil Gaiman), broaching difficult topics like grief, loss, and death. These heavy themes will be viewed from the perspectives of the show’s characters: Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, two dead British teens. Along with their living friend Crystal Palace, they will go on a fantastical journey of death and discovery.
A release date for the series premiere has not yet been set.