Aqualad hasn’t had much live-action screentime thus far, but he’s about to get a lot more. HBO Max is developing a live-action series based on the Jackson “Jake” Hyde version of the character–a version of which can also be seen in the Young Justice animated series–Variety reports.
The show will be a one-hour, live-action dramedy based on the YA graphic novel, “You Brought Me The Ocean,” by Alex Sanchez and Jul Maroh. In this story, Jake doesn’t yet know about his true heritage. He’s a teenager living in New Mexico, which is about as different from the ocean as you can get. The character has a fear of water but finds himself drawn to the ocean all the same. As he applies to the University of Miami, he also finds himself attracted to his high school’s swim team captain, Kenny Liu.
The character was initially introduced to both DC animation and comics in 2010, and it was revealed in both that he is the son of Aquaman villain Black Manta. Another version of Aqualad, named Garth, appeared in a dedicated flashback episode of HBO Max’s Titans.
The series is in very early development; no casting news is available for the project, nor is a writer attached to it. Charlize Theron will executive produce the series, however, alongside A.J. Dix, Beth Kono, and Andrew Haas.
