Warner Bros. is developing an original animated film based on Milestone Comics, the home of Static, Hardware, Icon and Rocket.
At DC FanDome, Milestone Media producer Reggie Hudlin and Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan revealed that an animated movie featuring the heroes of Milestone Comics is currently in development from Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film is based on a script by Hardware: Season One writer Brandon Thomas. Hudlin and Cowan also unveiled a promotional poster for the production, featuring Static, Hardware, Icon and Rocket in art by Bill Sienkiewicz.
Speaking to actor Echo Kellum (Mister Terrific, Arrow), Cowan said “This has been the thing that Milestone fans have been dreaming about for a long time, and we’re happy to give it to you, finally.” He also teased that the new animated film will feature "more than one character" from the Dakota Universe, but wouldn't say who.
The announcement of the animated film comes alongside news of an all-new Blood Syndicate comic book series scheduled for 2022. Hudlin also announced The Milestone Initiative -- a new program from DC, Milestone Media and WarnerMedia in collaboration with Ally -- which aims to identify, support and elevate emerging diverse writers and artists within the comic book industry.
Milestone Media was founded in 1993 by Cowan, Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle and the late Dwayne McDuffie. The company was created as a platform for underrepresented creators to write and draw superhero stories that authentically reflected minorities and people of color. The venture was independently-owned by the founders, who chose to publish and distribute their books through a partnership with DC Comics. Milestone quietly ceased publication in 1997 due to the industry-wide comic book crash.
For a time, their characters were integrated into the DC Universe through the pages of books like Justice League, Teen Titans and The Brave and The Bold. However, at DC FanDome 2020, it was announced that Milestone Comics would publish a new line of books once more, which began rolling out earlier this year. Their current titles include Static: Season One by Vita Ayala, CHRISSCROSS and Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Hardware: Season One by Thomas, Cowan and Sienkiewicz, and Icon and Rocket: Season One by by Hudlin, Leon Chills and Doug Braithwaite, with more on the way.
Milestone Media is perhaps known best for the creation of Static, who was adapted for the Static Shock animated series that ran from 2000-2004. The cartoon brought in Cowan and McDuffie to ensure that it stayed true to its comic book origins. Static, Icon and Rocket have also been featured in the Young Justice animated series, with both Static and Rocket factoring heavily into the show's ongoing storylines.
Brandon Thomas is the writer behind multiple series at DC Comics. In addition to Hardware: Season One, he has contributed to Batman: Urban Legends, Future State: The Next Batman and Aquaman: The Becoming. He is also writing Deep Targets, a seven-issue miniseries that teams up Aquaman and Green Arrow in a mutual celebration for their 80th anniversaries.
Source: DC FanDome