The CW and Warner Bros. Television has been quietly developing a new series based on DC Comics‘ Naomi with writer/director Ava DuVernay. Now the series has landed Army Wives actor Kaci Walfall in the lead role.
The news was first reported by Deadline overnight but has since been confirmed by DuVernay on her social media channels.
Excited to announce that Kaci Walfall is DC Comic’s magnificent NAOMI! She’s 16 and wildly talented. I’m fortunate to be working with her, along with our new cast members Cranston Johnson, Camila Moreno and Alexander Wraith. The dynamo @amandamarsalis is our director. Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/RaiIUsihy9
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 18, 2021
“Excited to announce that Kaci Walfall is DC Comic’s magnificent NAOMI!” said DuVernay in her tweet. “She’s 16 and wildly talented. I’m fortunate to be working with her.”
In announcing Walfall, DuVernay also confirmed that Cranston Johnson, Camila Moreno and Alexander Wraith have joined the cast. Amanda Marsalis is currently set to direct the pilot.
Naomi is based on the eponymous comic book series that debuted in 2019, co-written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and illustrated by breakout artist Jamal Campbell, the show follows a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.
Walfall’s role is described as an “effortlessly cool and confident high school student who is the adopted daughter of doting parents. Popular with all the kids in her military town, Naomi is unafraid to embrace her AP-student, comic book–loving nerdiness. After a supernatural event leads to the discovery of her powers within, Naomi pursues her hidden destiny.”
Wraith will play Dee, described as “the owner of a local tattoo parlor. When a strange event leaves the town in chaos, Dee hints that he knows more than he is willing to tell.“
Johnson portrays Zumbado, “the mysterious owner of a local used car lot. Having heard troubling rumors about his past, Naomi actively tries to avoid him, but a tense encounter leaves her both shaken and curious.”
Moreno is Lourdes, “a young woman with a sarcastic sense of humor who works in a vintage collectibles shop. She has an unrequited crush on Naomi, and she shares her obsession with classic comics. She is also happy to join in on Naomi’s schemes.”
No airdate is currently set for the series.
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