Last month we reported that The CW was in the process of putting together a new young superhero show to replace Smallville called The Graysons. The show would follow the teenaged Dick “DJ” Grayson before he became Batman’s sidekick Robin — an all around terrible idea if I ever heard one. Fortunately, it looks like cooler heads have prevailed and The Graysons is going to be axed before it even gets off the ground.

Word on the street is that Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov changed his mind and decided that the show didn’t really fit with the direction that they wanted to take their various DC Comics properties after all. Batman Begins/The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan was also supposedly uncomfortable with the show as it would present an inconsistent view of the Batman universe, much like the previously proposed Justice League movie. Warner Brothers TV released the following statement:

“The studio has opted not to go forward with the development of The Graysons at this time as the concept doesn’t fit the current strategy for the Batman franchise. Warner Bros. Television is currently working on several replacement options for the CW.”

I don’t think there are too many comic book fans who will be upset at this news, and I certainly think it’s wise for Warner Brothers to take Christopher Nolan’s opinion into consideration on matters regarding Batman. They can’t afford to screw up the one successful franchise they have going right now. Still, this reveals a bigger problem with Warner Brothers and their DC Comics properties right now: there are just too many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone wants to do their own thing with the characters, and no one is overseeing the whole operation. Until they get that straightened out, it’s going to continue to be a mess, and people are going to keep dreaming up terrible young superhero TV show ideas.

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