Joss Whedon, AP ImagesMwah-ha-ha-ha!
Some surprising (and some eeevvvilllle) names coming to the CW this fall, the network has revealed today.
Joss Whedon's 2008 web musical, Dr. Horrible, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, is finally getting a network home: the CW will air the Emmy-winning superhero send-up Oct. 9.
"I was proactive," CW President Mark Pedowitz told reporters at the TCA Press Tour. "I made the phone call. I asked, 'Would you like it on television?'" The viral video has attracted more than 50 million viewers since its debut, and Pedowitz revealed he's also talked to Whedon about coming back for a second installment. "Depends on his time. He's a busy guy."
The CW also will broadcast Clear Channel's iHeartRadio Music festival, a two-day concert featuring the likes of Taylor Swift, Aerosmith, Rihanna, Usher, No Doubt, Green Day, Mary J. Blige and Bon Jovi. The Sept 21-22 concert will air Oct. 1 on the CW.
And, raising more than a few eyebrows, Pedowitz also confirmed the CW is in talks to adapt the Hunger Games-esque Battle Royale, a controversial 1999 novel and film about teens killing teens.
"I really want a show that [has] a Game of Thrones-Hunger Games tone," Pedowitz explained. Of course, it's highly questionable whether a series about high schoolers killing high schoolers is too unsettling for the CW's youth-skewing audience. Pedowitz clarified that the CW would only do the series if it fits within their demo, adding, "Right now it's just development talk. Battle Royale has a nice cult following."
Stand by for scoop from Pedowitz on returning faves like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl and more…