Female gladiator novel The Valiant is heading to The CW

The CW boasts a wide array of teen shows that appeal to all kinds of audiences and its next one will bring Lesley Livingston’s novel, The Valiant, to life.

Oh, CW. I really wish I could sit it on one of your team business meetings. I just want to see how y’all pick out which TV shows you’re going to develop and destroy next. Yes, I said destroy. And yes, I’m pretty bitter toward how The CW runs things. Which is why I want to meet all the people behind the curtain.

But that doesn’t change the fact that they still enjoy a really robust wealth of content. Their next endeavor includes an adaptation of The Valiant, the female gladiator novel by Lesley Livingston. According to Variety, the premise is as follows:

"The series would follow a Celtic princess on the run from an arranged marriage and a sheltered life who is captured and forced into slavery under Julius Caesar. She ends up training among the first wave of female Gladiators to compete in the Colosseum for fame, fortune and, ultimately, her freedom."

Boy, if that doesn’t sound perfect for The CW.

Like many networks, The CW remains notorious for its treatment of female characters. Not only are they one of the leading offenders in the “Bury Your Gays” trope found on television, but I’ve been pretty vocal about what they’ve done to Supergirl since she moved from CBS to their network.

However, to be fair, as Variety points out, The CW is still home to shows like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Both shows consistently deliver strong writing and female leads. So it really depends on the team that would develop The Valiant, right?

So the good news is:

"Laurie Arent will write and executive produce, with Mary Beth Basile also executive producing."

Neither of them worked on anything that offers me any reassurance. Plus, and I hate to keep beating this horse (I already admitted to being bitter, okay?), but Supergirl has Jessica Queller. And trust me, she doesn’t help that show at all.

So we’re kind of excited that The CW wants to put out another female-centric show. Along with The She Word, they may have good intentions. But it’s their execution that seems questionable.

What do you think they’re going to do with a show about female gladiators who get in the ring and fight each other? Hmm?