CW Seed’s upcoming Vixen animated series – which was announced back in January – has finally found its star. According to Vixen Varsity, the title role has gone to The 4400 and CSI alum Megalyn Echikunwoke, who may even appear in live-action on either Arrow, The Flash, or Legends of Tomorrow should her show be a success.
Echikunwoke will star as cult favorite DC Comics character Mari McCabe, a young woman who inherits a mysterious totem from her parents that bestows upon her the magical ability to mimic the powers of any member of the animal kingdom.
The six-part series will the the CW’s first shot at expanding its ever-growing DC television universe to animation and will exist within the same universe as the aforementioned DC sister shows. It will even include guest roles for Arrow‘s Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards, along with The Flash‘s Grant Gustin and Carlos Valdes.
[zerg]Executive producer Marc Guggenheim recently teased some details about the series, which will tell one complete thirty-minute tale:
“This is essentially a coming-of-age story. [The totem] basically gives her the powers of any animal on Earth. She can fly like an eagle, she can have the strength of a gorilla, she can run as fast as a cheetah.”
Vixen won’t just introduce a new character into the mix, it’ll also open the door for magic – a powerful force in the pages of DC comics – to rear its head in this television universe:
“I love that we get to expand the universe. We started off with Arrow, which is very grounded, then The Flash introduced the concept of superpowers to this universe, and now Vixen will introduce the concept of magic. We’re continuing to build and expand the tapestry that we have to play with.”
The first bit of footage from Vixen will debut at San Diego Comic-Con this month, while the show is expected to air online at CW Seed later this summer.