Charlize Theron To Produce Aqualad DC Origin Story, ‘You Brought Me The Ocean’ For HBO Max

Charlize Theron is getting into the “superhero business,” but we should clarify, an atypical one that doesn’t seem all that connected to the superheroes you know. At least not yet. According to Variety, she is producing an adaptation of the young adult graphic novel, “You Brought Me The Ocean,” a gay YA high school love story, ala, “Love, Victor,” that is essentially the origin story of the character Aqualad. In the comics (or at least some iterations), he is the kind of sidekick or ward of Aquaman, but as comics are wont to do, there are many different versions. “You Brought Me The Ocean” is being developed as an HBO Max series.

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That’s not to say that “You Brought Me The Ocean” and Aqualad couldn’t connect to the current DCEU down the road, but the property as it stands is very different, feels like a big stand-alone, and isn’t really much of a traditional superhero story, and more, a young teen with powers struggling with his identity and sexuality. Here’s the graphic novel’s synopsis:

Jake Hyde doesn’t swim—not since his father drowned. Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, which is in the middle of the desert, yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast. But his best friend, Maria, wants nothing more than to make a home in the desert, and Jake’s mother encourages him to always play it safe.

There’s nothing “safe” about Jake’s future—not when he’s attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain, and rebel against conformity. And certainly not when he secretly applies to Miami University. Jake’s life begins to outpace his small town’s namesake, which doesn’t make it any easier to come out to his mom, or Maria, or the world. 

But Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that glow when in contact with water. What power will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to the current or dive headfirst into the waves? 

If that doesn’t seem totally different, check out the DC page for the story and the trailer below—it’s almost the antithesis of DC superheroes and definitely feels more YA. Theron is exec producing the adaptation via her Denver & Delilah Films, along with the company’s AJ Dix, Beth Kono, and Andrew Haas. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. DC Fans surely want something connected to the DCEU, but it’s probably way too early to tell if they can eventually reverse engineer it in there.