Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives Solve Ghostly Mysteries In First Trailer For The Sandman Spin-Off
Things at Warner Bros. Discovery are unstable right now, as their recent shelving of "Coyote Vs. Acme" for the quick boost of a tax write-off shows. As a result, Steve Yockey ("The Flight Attendant") might be breathing a sigh of relief that his series, "Dead Boy Detectives," was shopped around to Netflix.
The series is a DC Comics (well, Vertigo technically) property, however, according to the Hollywood Reporter, but didn't fit with James Gunn and Peter Safran's new plans at DC Studios. Originally intended to be a spin-off of the Max original series "Doom Patrol," it will instead be set in the same universe as Netflix's "The Sandman," the live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed Vertigo comic. The Dead Boy Detectives, Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, first appeared in "The Sandman" issue #25. True to their name, they're a pair of dead boys who decided to stay on Earth investigating crimes instead of leaving for the afterlife.
Their live-action counterparts will be played by two up-and-comers, George Rexstrew (Edwin) and Jayden Revri (Charles). The two were previously played by Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft in "Doom Patrol" season 3 episode "Dead Patrol" (co-written by Yockey). Presumably, the change in distributor and parent show also came with a recast. However, Yockey will still serve as showrunner for "Dead Boy Detectives" alongside Beth Schwartz.
Expanding the world of The Sandman
The official synopsis of "Dead Boy Detectives" notes that Charles and Edwin "will do anything to stick together — including escaping evil witches, Hell, and Death herself." This could imply that Death herself (played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste in "The Sandman") will make an appearance and try to hunt down these boy detectives for defying her reach, though this hasn't been confirmed.
However, other announced cast members include Kassius Nelson as the teenage psychic Crystal Palace (replacing Madalyn Horcher from "Doom Patrol") and Yuyu Kitamura as Crystal's friend Niko Sasaki (who helps the Detectives in their work using mystery-solving skills picked up from "Scooby-Doo" and manga).
The supporting cast (many of whom can be glimpsed in the trailer) sounds eccentric, to say the least: Briana Cuoco as Crystal and Niko's landlord Jenny the Butcher, Ruth Connell as Death's assistant the Night Nurse (the only cast member returning from "Doom Patrol"), Jenn Lyon as immortal witch Esther Finch, Joshua Colley as her familiar Monty, Lukas Gage as Thomas the Cat King (you can tell it's him in the trailer because he has a neon crown light over his bed), Michael Beach as magic shop owner Tragic Mick, and David Iacono as David the Demon (who once possessed Crystal).
"Dead Boys Detectives" has a fast-paced, 80-second trailer, with music complementing the greater focus on action and thrill of the chase than solving mysteries. We can only wait and see if that will be the tone of the series itself.
"Dead Boy Detectives" premieres on Netflix in 2024.