Aquaman tv series swims to WB Network

[Raph's Girl]

Aquaman will soon join Superman on the WB Network, courtesy of the producers of "Smallville," the cult favorite about the early years of the Man of Steel.

The new project is envisioned as a contemporary reinterpretation of the DC Comics character who lives in the deep sea and enlists sharks and other oceanic creatures to help him in his crime-fighting endeavors.

The new-model Aquaman will be a man in his early twenties. As is the case on "Smallville," which tells the story of Clark Kent's teenage years and his coming-of-age as Superman, there won't be any presto-chango into costumes or other superhero accessories when his superpowers are invoked, a WB Network spokesman said.

The October 20 episode of "Smallville," titled "Aqua," featured the Kent character encountering a mysterious young swimmer and do-gooder dubbed "A.C.," played by Alan Ritchson.

The WB spokesman said that episode, which ranked as "Smallville's" most-watched of the season with nearly 6.5 million viewers, was not meant to be a template for the "Aquaman" project and that "Smallville" executive producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough would search for a new actor for the lead role. The "Aquaman" pilot tentatively is set to shoot early next year in Florida.

According to the Aquaman lore, the character is the exiled king of the lost underwater civilization of Atlantis. The former Prince Orin was abandoned as a child, raised by dolphins and later adopted by a lighthouse keeper named Arthur Curry.

Aquaman made his first appearance in a DC Comics publication in 1941 and remains an active comic book franchise for the Warner Bros.-owned publishing outfit.

Millar and Gough have joined the top ranks of drama showrunners after being at the helm of "Smallville" since its debut in 2001. On the feature side, the duo helped craft the screenplays for 2004's "Spider-Man 2," 2003's "Shanghai Knights" and this summer's "Herbie: Fully Loaded."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051114/tv_nm/aquaman_dc