Syfy gives Booster Gold a chance

Syfy has ordered a pilot for a new series adaptation of Booster Gold, a secondary figure in the DC super hero story-world.

We’ve seen a bit of a return of the super hero to television starting with the mostly popular HEROES a few years back, which portrayed super heroes as normal people who simply had extraordinary powers.

Unlike the comic books, they did not dress in crazy costumes or adopt secret identities – and this has been the basic formula for subsequent successful super hero shows.

Alphas is a pefect case in point. The show depicts a group of adept folk who are drawn into a fight between the government and a dark force of super people who call themselves the Red Flag.

Also, Powers is coming up next season alongside AKA Jessica Jones – with both shows portraying detectives who used to be super heroes.

This trend may have convinced Syfy that it’s acceptable to take a chance on yet another costumed hero. Of course, I suppose Syfy could always tell the same tale without the costume, but that’s unlikely.

Booster Gold is the story of Michael Carter who was born in 25th century Gotham. After seeing displays about 20th century super heroes in a museum, Carter decides to steal a bunch of gadgets from his own time, and use a time machine to send himself back to the 20th century where he can use the devices to be a hero alongside Batman and Superman.

He is usually depicted as an arrogant, showy hero, with little thought for others, despite saving the day. In the New 52, Booster has been put in charge of the refreshed Justice League International. No word on what parts of the Booster Gold mythology will be used in the series. 

Syfy is flexible and capable of moving quickly on various projects, so it’s entirely possible that Booster Gold could end up in the Fall 2012 line-up.