Dark and gritty superhero dramas are certainly nothing new to the cinematic landscape, with stories like Watchmen, Powers and relative newcomer Daredevil all tackling some of the darker aspects of the superhero genre.
HBO is getting ready to step into the genre in a big way with Gods and Secrets, which is quite often described as Watchmen-esque, which is rarely a bad thing. The brief description certainly sounds inspired by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s seminal work:
In a world in which superheroes exist, personal foibles and the resulting celebrity culture are front and center. In the story, tragedy has struck the superheroic team Guardians of Justice, and in its aftermath secrets are revealed, lives are changed, and the war to end all wars begins.
It was announced recently that Adi Shankar – executive producer of Dredd, Lone Survivor and The Grey, plus a number of shorts that have caught our eyes (Power/Rangers, Venom: Truth in Journalism and Punisher: Dirty Laundry) – will make his directorial debut on Gods and Secrets, which he created along with Jenni Powell and Shawn Deloache.
Shankar will be teaming up with his long-time collaborator Stewart Yost for the directing duties. Shankar has been dabbling on-screen as well lately with a role alongside Ryan Reynolds in the relatively unknown but intriguing The Voices, so we might see him take on a role for the show as well, though that has yet to be confirmed.
The main cast has mostly been assembled, with Twilight‘s Kellan Lutz and Jackson Rathbone starring alongside Sharni Vinson (You’re Next), Alexandra Billings (Transparent), Andy Milonakis (Kroll Show), and wrestling superstar Diamond Dallas Page.
It was also recently announced that Denise Richards and Jane Seymour have signed on to the series, filling out the cast rather impressively with some ass-kicking females. While we don’t have many character or story details, just the fact that HBO is attempting a series in the dark superhero genre is exciting.
We will keep you updated on this developing series as news continues to drop. What do you think of Gods and Secrets so far? Have we seen enough ‘dark” superhero dramas? Will you watch it just because it’s on HBO? Let us know in the comments section below or join the discussion on the Grizzlybomb Facebook Page!
Images: Vertigo, Myriad Pictures, DC Comics, HBO
Grizzly Bomb 
Awesome news! I’m surprised HBO’s doing a show like this, but look forward to watching, both because it’s a dark superhero drama and especially because it’s on HBO.
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Couldn’t agree more. It’s just exciting to see HBO join the genre finally.
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