Hold on, is DC Universe actually killing it? The streaming service/digital comics platform that was entirely based around DC stuff like Batman and Superman seemed like a tough sell to the average consumer at first, especially since its flagship original series Titans looked shaky in its first trailer, but Titans has been received better than that trailer would indicate and the follow-up Doom Patrol series is looking pretty good. Is it possible that the general public was too pessimistic about this thing? If so, DC Universe’s upcoming Stargirl series might end up coming out as an actual hit.
For starters, the series comes from original Stargirl creator Geoff Johns, who loves the character so much that he definitely won’t let the show turn out poorly, and we previously heard that it’s going to star Brec Bassinger as the eponymous star-based girl with Joel McHale recurring as her mentor Sylvester Pemberton—a.k.a. Starman. Those both sound good, and now Deadline is reporting that Luke Wilson (a real actor who has been in movies!) has also joined the cast as Pat Dugan, the former sidekick of Starman who quit the superhero life so he could become a regular mechanic. He also happens to be the stepfather of Bassinger’s character, and when she decides to become a superhero, he jumps into a big robot suit called Stripe and fights crime by her side. (The Stargirl and Stripe duo popped up frequently on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon if all of this sounds familiar.)
In a statement, Johns said that he only ever envisioned Luke Wilson in this role, saying he’s been a fan since he saw Bottle Rocket in 1996, so actually getting to cast him is like he “won the lottery.” The show will also feature Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Hourman, Brian Stapf as Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Dr. Mid-Nite, and Anjelika Washington in some unknown role.