The celebration has begun. This week’s official announcement that Warner Bros Animation has begun production of a third season of Young Justice has sent most fans like me into frenzy! After a prolonged and continuous campaign on social media to #KeepBingingYJ and #RenewYoungJustice the fans were finally rewarded with a third season of the show. Additionally, this couldn’t have happened to a better creative team. Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti and the voice teams have been active and interactive with the fan campaign providing energy and momentum. Now comes the waiting and it might be a really long time before fans are actually watching new episodes of the show.
There are several details, outside of the shows plot or new characters, that we still don’t have any answers to:
#1 How long is the production schedule?
Exactly how long is the production schedule for the show? Do they plan on completing the whole season before airing starts, or in blocks as they are completed? I have never worked in the animation industry, but I know it requires man power and is an intense process to get things right. If WB Animations gives the team more animators then obviously we get the material completed quicker but that costs more putting higher return demands on the show (already thinking Season 4). We have none of these details as of yet. I suspect that it we are looking at very late 2017 at the absolute earliest and Fall of 2018 at the far end. Both seems like quite a long time for fans, but the wait I’m sure will be worth it.
#2 Where are we going to watch it?
As of this point we have no idea where the show is going to air. I was able to reach out to Writer/Director Greg Weisman about this and he gave a solid “I Don’t Know”. I believe this detail has not been ironed out. The show had an unprecedented fan driven social media campaign. If I was an executive or producer I would review all my options before choosing a place to air or drop the show. I know most fans would prefer to binge watch it on Netflix (I know I would) but that may not be the best way to monetize it. I will support whatever method they choose to be honest. We lost the show due to failed monetization last time, so fans need to embrace whatever new method is put into place.
#3 Are we going to get another comic book series?
The Young Justice comic that was companion to the show was one of the best tie-in comics I have ever really read. The series was written by showrunner Greg Weisman with the masterful artwork of Chris Jones. It literally walks right in line with the show on almost every plot point. A great example is many of the details revealed in counselling sessions with Black Canary mid-season were talked about during a camping trip earlier in the comics series. As a fan, I would really like to see this make a comeback. Such a great way to add more depth and flavor to the characters. If you have not read any of the books I highly recommend heading over to Comixology and dropping a few dollars on the series. It’s available in 4 volumes and they will leave you going “OOOOO, that’s why that happened” for hours.
#4 What about the toys & other swag ?
This is a callback to the first demise. The show died because toys didn’t sell. The toy makers provided funding and the sales of the toys didn’t meet expectations so they pulled it. Again, this is monetization and every show has to have it. If they choose a toy/t-shirt/stuff method the fans need to pony up what they can. We made a massive stink, screamed, cried, and through temper tantrums for 3 years to get it back. Show them it was worth it and the fans have their backs.
I cannot express as a fan how excited I am to see the show make a return. Weisman and team created something special and to see everyone from fan to writer to voice talent embrace the social media campaign and help it achieve success hopefully will make this something that people will remember for a long time. I’m not sure when the show will finally see the light of day, but you can bet I will be tuned in day one.