Dial H For Hero will be a live-action comedy thanks to a new project from Machinima and Warner Bros. Most recently part of the first wave of New 52 titles launched by DC Comics in September 2011, Dial H is an interesting concept centered around the ability to turn into superheroes by dialing a telephone.
The new series will be titled #4Hero, and will follow a young woman who stumbles across a "smartphone app" that allows her to instantly become a superhero for a fixed amount of time. The catch? Her powers are determined by what's currently trending on social media (hence the title of #4Hero) which will reportedly produce some less than "super" results.
A modern adaptation of DC Comics’ cult-favorite classic “Dial H For Hero”, #4Hero is a live-action, VFX-heavy action-comedy about a young woman named Nellie Tribble who is quietly desperate to make her mark on the world, but wholly unprepared to do so. Nellie stumbles upon a life-altering smartphone app that allows her to instantly become a Super Hero for a short amount of time. The problem is her super powers are dictated by whatever is trending on social media at that moment, and they are always only semi-useful.
The Starman live-action series will be a bit different from #4Hero. Titled DC's Hero Project, Geoff Johns is guiding this project, which will pit 8 amateur filmmakers in an Apprentice-style contest to see who will go on to make a live-action Starman short film. Blue Ribbon Content (who's also developing a live-action Static Shock series) is also shepherding the project alongside Machinima and Warner Bros. Johns will serve as the judge alongside a rotating panel of celebrity personalities from DC Comics, DCTV and the DC Cinematic Universe.
The Starman (there have been several iterations) shown during panel was James Robinson and Tony Harris' Jack Knight. Knight is a member of the Justice Society of America and is the son of the original Starman, Ted Knight. Initially, Jack's older brother David assumes the mantle left by their father, however, after David is killed by one of Ted's old foes, Jack decides to keep the family business going and becomes the wielder of the cosmic staff. Comic book fans know that eventually, Jack passes the cosmic staff to Courtney Whitmore, who becomes known as Stargirl.
Machinima, Blue Ribbon Content, and DC Entertainment are setting out to discover the next great creator for the world of DC Comics. Eight contestants compete in elimination challenges to develop a live-action short video based on their own interpretations of characters from DC Comics’ Starman comic book series. Well-known guest judges and celebrity special guests will join bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and a panel of esteemed judges to oversee the entire competition.