The CW Looks to Dark Angels

The CW, once a network that seemed guarded about its investment in the supernatural (as an alternative to its corner on straight teen melodrama), seems to be constantly looking to expand its fantasy assets. But it's a buyer's market for vampires and werewolves, and a new angle on fairy tales would be tough now that at least three of the possible approaches have been staked out, so the CW suits, perhaps remembering how the badass angels on Supernatural gave that show a major shot in the arm are turning their faces toward new hard-bodied beauties of a celestial kind.

In recent weeks the network has acquired two different angel-related projects. The first was Embrace, based on yet another YA fantasy book series. The tale, by Jessica Shirvington, involves a young woman named Violet who discovers she's half-angel, and subsequently becomes embroiled in, and the key to, an endless war involving the fallen angels. It comes at an interesting time, with Lost Girl gaining a substantial following in the U.S. and similar concepts in train (like Orphan Black); but the thumbnail concept hews even closer to the series that gave us Paul Wesley, Fallen.

Shirvington herself is giddy with excitement. "I would be lying if I said I hadn't daydreamed about this possibility," she says. "To now have the option with The CW, Amblin/Dreamworks TV and CBS Studios, is mind blowing. These are absolute industry leaders and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to see how things develop!" Bill Laurin and Glenn Davis are on board to write and executive produce.

And then a week later, The CW added Abaddon's Journal, another edgy angel project to its development pipeline, this time about an angel "fixer" who, empowered by a book that records everyone's deals with the devil, travels around trying to help out the compromised souls. (Too bad there won't by a cross-over ep with 666 Park Avenue.) Abaddon's Journal is being developed by Bill Haber, who's grown in standing with the success of Rozzoli & Isles and who's one of the lights behind Beauty and the Beast. This is one of those projects that will depend heavily on the casting. Paul Blackthorne, anyone?

Tags: Embrace, Abaddon's Journal, Bill Haber Follow me on Twitter  |  Follow me on Facebook