After more than three months since we first learned about the development of Ava DuVernay’s series adaptation of Naomi, The CW has finally found the perfect actress for the titular role, based on Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker’s DC comic series of the same. According to Deadline, Kaci Walfall (Army Wives, Power) has officially been tapped to portray the superhero role of Naomi in The CW’s upcoming pilot. In addition, Alexander Wraith (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Cranston Johnson (Filthy Rich, P-Valley), and newcomer Camila Moreno have also been cast as series regulars.
Should the pilot secure a series order, this would mark Walfall’s first major TV project. She currently has a recurring role in CBS’ Queen Latifah-led The Equalizer series and will next be seen in the second season of Amazon Prime’s Modern Love.
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
Their official character descriptions are listed below:
Walfall’s Naomi – “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 – “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.”
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Written and executive produced by the Selma director and Arrow alum Jill Blankenship, the Naomi pilot centers on the titular character in her teenage years as she journeys from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse, but when a supernatural event rattles her hometown, she must set out to uncover its origins, discovering something that will challenge everything people believe about superheroes.
Click here to purchase the complete collection of all six issues of Naomi!
The potential series will be co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and DuVernay’s Array Filmworks, which currently has a rich overall deal, and is expected as the first step in a planned expansion of the network’s DC Comics-verse as they move past the long-running to Arrowverse, especially as its titular series recently came to an end. It would also mark the first DC drama to not have Greg Berlanti attached as producer or creator, with the prolific producer currently also wrapping up Black Lightning, though a spin-off is in development and Supergirl, whose spin-off Superman & Lois will premiere in February.
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DuVernay was tapped in 2018 to develop and direct a film adaptation of DC Comics’ New Gods, which she is co-writing with acclaimed comic book writer Tom King, and recently landed a limited series order from HBO Max for the adaptation of DC’s DMZ, which she is producing and directing the pilot and Roberto Patino (Sons of Anarchy) penning all four episodes.
