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Naomi In The Media


Trini
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I know typically they put a new show after an established one, but I feel like the earlier timeslot would be better for this show to start out with. I hope it does well in any case.

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'The Best and Worst New Midseason Shows: Which Ones Should You Watch?'

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Naomi

Premieres: Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 9/8c on The CW

For fans of: Super teens, multiverses, Superman

Who's in it? Kaci Walfall, Mary-Charles Jones, Barry Watson

What it's about: A young girl named Naomi (Walfall) runs a Superman fan site but soon learns she may have more in common with the superhero than she thought. Naomi is based on the DC Comics character of the same name.

Is it good? Maybe! The CW apparently wasn't done with superhero shows from the DC universe, and at first glance, Naomi looks like any other teen superhero origin story. It may look like that on a second and third glance, too, but there's a chance it breaks the mold thanks to developer Ava DuVernay, who brings her keen sense of social justice to the mix but doesn't make it all about that, either. Throw in a backstory that's rooted in the multiverse, and there's no telling where the show will go. But if it does go somewhere interesting, it will have to do so after the fairly plain pilot episode.

 

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'What made 17-year-old Kaci Walfall right for CW's 'Naomi''

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“I was such a huge fan of the comic when it came out — Brian Bendis, David Walker, Jamal Campbell’s beautiful art. What they created was this incredible foundation. But what was so lovely is that they also really gave us the freedom to kind of make it our own and to really run with it,” said executive producer Jill Blankenship (“Arrow”).

The comics are just a launching pad, DuVernay says. “Where she’ll go in the series will be a different path than where she’ll go in the next season of the comics. I think Naomi is a muscular enough character that she deserves and can hold multiple iterations of artists interpreting her just like Spider-Man, just like Batman does.”

 

'Kaci Walfall on Her Big Break & Black Girl Superheroes Who Mentored Her'

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“Javicia Leslie sent me a message on Instagram, and that was so sweet. I've commented on her stuff. She's commented on mine, and I've DMed with her a couple of times so that I'm really grateful for that,” Walfall says. “Anjelika Washington is on Stargirl, which films across the street from us, which I think is super fun. I've talked to her on Instagram a couple of times. Then this summer I had a mentor, Ciara Renée. She played Hawkgirl on DC's Legends Tomorrow and Flash. Funny enough, she mentored me in directing and writing. It was a really cool coincidence. She just gave me so many tips on how to deal with certain things but also bring out the greatness within me. I'm very grateful for her.”

 

'Inside the ‘Naomi’-Verse With Ava DuVernay and Kaci Walfall'

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“I want this to be an autonomous story about Naomi,” executive producer Ava DuVernay tells Variety. “One of the things I really wanted was for her to live in her own universe. We call it the ‘Naomi-verse.’ And she’s not tethered to and she does not have to speak to the other stories that are going on now. It would just be too complicated, taking on too much legacy of the other shows, and doesn’t give the character the freedom to live her own life.”

 

'Meet the CW's Newest Superhero: 'Naomi' Star Kaci Walfall'

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Naomi having this love for Superman, I'm super excited for people who are fans of Superman to side with her and her being this popular girl who isn't afraid to embrace that, it's great. And it's especially nuanced. I feel in the TV and film world, just telling that narrative of the character. I'm really excited for people to see the actors that I'm working with. Everyone is just at the top of their game in this show. Cranston Johnson is great, especially, in the pilot [as Zumbado]. And so is Mary-Charles [Jones as Annabelle] and Alex [Wraith as Dee]. Just everyone is completely stellar. One of my favorite scenes that isn't really a scene... when I saw it, I was like, "This is so cool!" It's a skateboarding scene in the pilot. This song that they chose... is just super cool and I'm excited for people to see that.

 

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'Kaci Walfall is Ready to Fly as The CW’s New Hero Naomi'

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“This first season is really about Naomi finding out who she is. It’s set up as an origin story and origin stories are so special, because you can really connect with the character knowing them before they discover whatever powers they had,” Walfall said. “As we go through the season you see Naomi’s origin story, but you also see some of the other characters’ origin stories, so I’m really excited to be able to see that.”

 

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Interview and photos at Essence: 'Kaci Walfall Is Your New Favorite Superhero'

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“When I got into the [audition] with Miss Ava and she said my name, ‘Hi Kaci, how are you?’ for some reason, her saying that – even just through Zoom Miss Ava has a very kind nurturing soul,” she said. “Just her knowing my name and knowing who I was and not just saying, ‘Okay, next,’ really made me feel welcomed.”

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Naomi is a different story,” Walfall explains. “You don’t necessarily have to save bad guys and save people and wear a cape to be a superhero. There are so many different definitions of a superhero.”

 

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And I thought this was nice; a shoutout from The Equalizer, a show Kaci previously guest starred on:

 

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Ratings: Naomi Has a Pretty Super Start, Superman & Lois Returns Steady
By Matt Webb Mitovich / January 12 2022
https://tvline.com/2022/01/12/tv-ratings-naomi-series-premiere-cw/

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In the latest TV show ratings, Naomi debuted on Tuesday night to 800,000 total viewers and a 0.15 demo rating, marking The CW’s third-most watched season premiere this TV season (trailing only Walker and, as you will see, Superman & Lois).

The CW freshman also delivered its time slot’s largest audience since July, and bested any crowd drawn by The Flash‘s season-opening “Armageddon” event. TVLine readers gave the premiere an average grade of “B-.”


 

Edited by tv echo
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Interview with Kaci at Glamour: 'Kaci Walfall Is Navigating Senior Year While Playing The CW’s Newest Superhero'

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“I'm in a couple of A.P. classes, so I'm balancing that,” Walfall tells me nonchalantly during a Zoom interview. “My mom's a principal, so she's never going to let me forget my education and how that matters. It's fun because I go to performing arts school, so this is still school for me. It's like I'm practicing my scene, but my scene will be on TV.”

Call it extra credit. Of course, this isn't new for Walfall, who's been acting her entire life. “I seriously started acting was when I was seven,” she says. “I did an acting showcase and did some acting-class acting. My parents wanted me to play sports for a really long time. There were photos of me as a baby with basketballs in my hand. They were convinced I was going to be in the WNBA, but I didn't like playing basketball. I was always putting on shows, and my mom was like, ‘Let's try acting.’ There was never anyone in my family who was an actor. I did a showcase and then I got an agent.”

 

Interview at WPIX (video): 'New York’s very own Kaci Walfall talks new CW superhero series'

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(edited)

Interviews with Cranston Johnson (Zumbado), and excerpts:

Looper:

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Well, there are some things that I'm not allowed to spoil at this time, but what I can tell you, to piggyback off of what you just said, he is very mysterious. He's this enigma that people seem to think that they know about his history and they know about his past, as evidenced by Naomi and Nathan, speaking of a reputation that he has in the town of Port Oswego for being a crook, as a car salesman he's kind of ripping off the local town. All these things are just kind of hearsay — we don't really know if any of this is factual. There's this ominous presence about him that he is a bad evil guy ... a lot of negative energy around him, so people like to avoid him and they are very uncomfortable in his presence. That's pretty much what we can speak on at this time.

 

KSiteTV:

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I really enjoyed doing that scene in the forest. That was my introduction to the character. That’s the scene that I auditioned to get the role. It’s written so well. I think I was able to find so many different little layers to kind of bring through that. I think that Zumbado’s very complicated. So we just have to keep watching, and determine what his motivation is, and how he aligns in the universe. I think it’ll be a very interesting watch.

 

Edited by Trini
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There's a shot in this promo with posters of actual DC comic book covers, including Stargirl, but I'm not sure what that says about this show's place in the multiverse or Arrow-verse, if anything. But DC has used real comics in their shows before, so maybe it's just an easter egg.

 

 

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Comments from director and producer DeMane Davis: ‘Naomi’ Delivers ‘Different Kind of Hero':

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“Naomi has powers, but as we saw in the pilot, she had a hard time admitting it,” the Boston native recalls. “That’s what people of all ages do. We have a skill, and we doubt ourselves. Suddenly, you have to accept it, and then you have to incorporate it and share it. As a director, my arsenal of skills keeps growing with every show. Now I know how to direct stunts and special and visual effects. I definitely feel like this is what I’m supposed to do.”

The inclusion and diversity on camera is also reflected behind the scenes, and that inspires Davis.

“This show is really affecting people,” Davis observes. “You have mothers and daughters watching and sharing their IG stories and it’s just really incredible to tell this origin story.”

 

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Interview with Kaci Walfall and Javicia Leslie at E! Online (with video): 'Javicia Leslie and Kaci Walfall Are Superheroes On and Off Screen'

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E!: How do you think the industry can become more representative and diverse on and off screen?

KW: As Javicia said, if you don't see yourself on the screen, you start to feel certain ways about yourself. But I think what's really great is when you see a crew of color, when you see people working around the set that look like you in these positions that you've never seen before. Ava's great for that, because [before Naomi] I'd never seen two Black camera operators in my life. And seeing people that look like you in these positions, it's inspiring.

 

Naomi and the "chosen one" trope at DC: https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2022/02/22/naomi-a-chosen-one-must-choose-to-believe

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There will be a Naomi cast panel at this year's WonderCon...

WonderCon, April 1-3, 2022 (Anaheim, CA)
https://comic-con.org/wca/programming-schedule

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Naomi Special Video Presentation and Q&A
... Saturday, April 2, 2022
... 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

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... Join series star Kaci Walfall and additional members of the cast and creative team (participants to be announced) for a special video presentation, followed by a Q&A as they discuss what is in store for the rest of the season. Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship created Naomi for television and serve as executive producers of the series along with Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks. Naomi is from ARRAY Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television, based on the characters created for DC by Brian Bendis, Jamal Campbell, and David F. Walker. Watch new episodes Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW or stream for free on The CW app.

 

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Bubble Watch 2022: Look At Every Broadcast Scripted Series That Has Not Been Renewed Yet, From ‘FBI’ & ‘9-1-1’ To ‘AMLT’, ‘Mr. Mayor’ & ‘Legacies’
By Nellie Andreeva   April 15, 2022
https://deadline.com/2022/04/bubble-watch-2022-renewals-cancellations-broadcast-fbi-9-1-1-to-amlt-mr-mayor-legacies-1234998738/ 

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Then there are the three remaining DC series, veteran Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and freshman Naomi, which will be in consideration alongside DC pilot Gotham Knights. Word is that about half of the four projects will make it to next season. Batwoman and Gotham Knights are set in a similar universe, so it is possible that one of them is picked up for next season. It will be a difficult decision on Legends of Tomorrow, which is getting old, currently in its seventh season, having gone through a string of cast changeovers. The CW’s President Mark Pedowitz is known for giving the network’s long-running series a proper goodbye, so a final season would be logical solution but, given the uncertainty over the CW’s ownership, the final decisions may not be the network’s to make.

 

Edited by tv echo
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