Harley Quinn Spin-Off Noonan's Ordered To Series At HBO Max
While fans of HBO Max's "Harley Quinn" anxiously await the third season of the acclaimed animated series, an interesting bit of news came up at this year's SXSW. Series co-creator Patrick Schumacker teased that a spin-off starring Matt Oberg's Kite Man was currently in the works. Titled "Noonan's," the series would be like "Cheers" with Kite Man as Sam Malone and the villains of Gotham as his patrons.
Since the project was only in development at the time, there was no official word from the network about a release date, additional cast members, or any of that good stuff. But now after spending some time taxiing on the tarmac, it looks like the Warner Bros Animation top brass in the tower has given Kite Man the green light to take off from the runway.
And yes, all that plane references were included because "Wings" is a show that also takes place in the "Cheers" universe. And also Kite Man can fly.
Where everybody knows your name
According to a press release from Warner Bros, "Noonan's" is officially a go for HBO Max. While the name of the show is still tentative at the moment and considered a working title, the streamer has granted the animated spinoff a 10-episode order. Though this announcement basically confirms everything Schumacker revealed at SXSW, the official synopsis for the show has revealed the new detail that Golden Glider, the younger sister of Captain Cold who uses her Olympic-level figure skating skills and a pair of high tech skates to commit crimes, will play Diane Chambers to Kite Man's Sam. Per the press release:
Lovable loser Kite Man and his new squeeze Golden Glider moonlight as criminals to support their foolish purchase of Noonan's, Gotham's seediest dive bar, where everybody knows your name, but not necessarily your secret identity!
Dean Lorey will act as the showrunner for the series and will executive produce the adult-oriented super-powered cartoon alongside his "Harley Quinn" collaborators Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, series star Kaley Cuoco, and studio executive Sam Register. Suzanna Makkos, the Executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Adult Animation at HBO Max and Adult Swim, expressed their excitement for Kite Man's moment in the spotlight:
"We love the wild and fun world of "Harley Quinn" so much we just had to make a spin-off and who better to center it around than the outcast Kite Man. Justin, Patrick, and Dean have created the perfect local hangout for Gotham City's not-so-finest at Noonan's, where bar patrons can blow off steam after a long day of mayhem."
With Sam and Diane set, I wonder who will fill the barstools for supervillain equivalents of Cliff Clavin, Norm Petersen, and Dr. Frasier Crane. With Golden Glider's connection to Captain Cold, I wouldn't be surprised if he and his partner Heat Wave made an appearance. As James Gunn has proven with "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker," there are a whole lot of obscure villains in the DC Universe, so it will be a lot of fun to see who ends up walking through the door at Noonan's and having a drink with Kite Man.