Ava DuVernay developing The CW Arrowverse series based on Bendis' new DC hero 'Naomi'

Ava DuVernay, director of the upcoming New Gods, is expanding her involvement with the DC Universe. According to a new report by Variety, the Wrinkle in Time filmmaker is teaming up with Arrow writer/executive producer Jill Blankenship to develop a new The CW project based on the Naomi limited series by Brian Michael Bendis (Jessica Jones), David F. Walker (Bitter Root), and Jamal Campbell. DuVernay and Blankenship will write and executive produce the adaptation.

Billed as "DC's biggest, newest mystery," the Eisner-nominated comic — which ran for six issues last year under the Wonder Comics imprint — is centered around the titular character, an adopted girl who discovers more about her origins and powers when a fight between Superman and Mogul bleeds into her small town in the American Northwest.

"The idea of what would happen to any small town that Superman bounced in and out of it in the middle of the fight would be the biggest thing in the world," Bendis told SYFY WIRE when we previewed the first issue last summer. "It would disrupt an entire community. In our case, this young woman Naomi starts us a quest that leads us down a path that gets us something brand new in the DCU."

"Every town, even if it seems sleepy, and nothing happens, something does happen every day," added Walker. "There’s stories, there’s secrets, and mysteries and that’s what’s really interesting and what we kept pushing. Whether it’s a big city or a small town where your setting is, that world is part of the character. It is a character in and of itself. We need to be cognizant of that and will be seeing more of that as the story progresses."

Credit: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images & DC Comics

"Because we’re creating something new, there’s nothing that I’m beholden to, it’s all whatever I want to do," Campbell explained of their art style for the book. "I was hesitant doing those character designs, expecting that they’d come back with changes, but the only answer I got was, 'It’s great.' I get to do what I want to do from my imagination, whatever I put out there, that’s what it’s going to be, which is extremely scary but also liberating."

With several Arrowverse projects ended or coming to an end, The CW is quickly filling the vacant slots with projects like Naomi, Wonder Girl, a Black Lightning spinoff about Jordan Calloway's Painkiller, and a possible (though at this point long-gestating) future-set Arrow spinoff about the Canaries. Freshman series Superman & Lois, along with returning shows The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and Stargirl are also on the docket for new seasons. The final season of Supergirl is also scheduled to roll out this winter.

Another one of DuVernay's television efforts, an adaptation of Vertigo's TMZ comic, was recently ordered to series at HBO Max.