The cast of DC Universe’s Doom Patrol adds another superhero, with Brendan Fraser set to voice Cliff Steele a.k.a. Robotman. The show does not yet have a premiere date, but is expected to premiere on DC Entertainment’s new streaming service some time in 2019.
Robotman, who debuted in DC Comics in the 1960s, is something of a precursor to Robocop, with a similar back story. The character’s real name is Cliff Steele, and he was “a daredevil in search of excitement and danger,” who took a bad turn on a race track and crashed his souped-up car. His body was damaged beyond repair, but his brain survived intact, and genius surgeon Niles Caulder put his brain into a new metal body. Cliff’s new life enabled him to carry on his daredevil feats, but left him feeling like an outcast.
According to Deadline, Fraser will provide the voice of the character in Doom Patrol, while Riley Shanahan will play Robotman on-set in a full body costume. Another recent addition to Doom Patrol’s cast was Jovian Wade (The First Purge) as Cyborg - so at least Robotman will have a kindred spirit to talk to. The show will also feature Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black) as Crazy Jane, while Kelsey Grammar is rumored to be a top pick to play Robotman’s surgeon and the leader of the Doom Patrol, Dr. Caulder.
Fraser is a particularly appropriate choice for the role of Cliff Steele, given the physical toll that his stunts in movies like The Mummy took on his body. Speaking to GQ in a profile published earlier this year, Fraser said that by the time he made 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, “I was put together with tape and ice—I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily.” He had numerous back surgeries including a laminectomy, which had to be repeated a year later, and a partial knee replacement, and at one point had to have his vocal chords repaired. Depending on how far you stretch the definition, Fraser could be considered an actual real-life cyborg. Now that’s authentic casting.
DC Universe’s slate of live-action TV shows will kick off with Titans, a gritty take on the Teen Titans that memorably made its trailer debut at Comic-Con this year with the line, “F*** Batman.” There is also a Swamp Thing live-action TV show in development, and several animated series. While Swamp Thing will be in set its own universe, Doom Patrol and Titans will reportedly be tied together, with April Bowlby’s Elasti-Woman appearing in both shows.
More: All the DC Movies and TV Shows Streaming on DC Universe
Doom Patrol will premiere on DC Universe in 2019.
Source: Deadline
