There’s still a Beast Boy problem that has nothing to do with casting

DC’s upcoming streaming service has found its Beast Boy for the live-action Titans series, but there’s still one question: Can they really afford to use him?

Just this afternoon, Warner Bros./DC dropped some incredible news: They cast Ryan Potter as Beast Boy in their upcoming live-action Titans series which will debut on their new streaming platform. Along with Anna Diop, I think he’s the best cast character so far. While we can all sit here and discuss whether casting a half-Japanese actor is just a stunt or if anyone’s actually going to pay for this streaming service, there’s still one big problem at hand.

How are they going to afford to bring Beast Boy to life?

Well, they’re probably not going to do it that often, to be honest. Basically, it’s Beast Boy’s own nature which keeps him from appearing anywhere outside of animation. He can shift into animals, which is an incredibly expensive thing to animate for live-action. More importantly, if it’s done poorly, it could ruin everything. Nobody wants lame effects. Or worse, “cheat-imation” where he runs out of the room every time he shifts into a rhino.

Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that’s why they went with this ultimate cutie pie who can do a number of martial stunts on his own — they have no intention of letting him shift in every episode. It’s just not going to happen.

Just look at other DC properties. The effects on the superhero shows on The CW are often downright laughable (but well-meaning, so everyone chill). Supergirl‘s Martian Manhunter almost never gets to show his true form for more than a minute or two. In fact, you can spot all their normal standing sets across the Arrowverse really easily. I mean, they’re just so cheap over there.

And unfortunately, the DCEU hasn’t really done anything to prove they’ve got all their ducks in a row either. Just take Beast Boy’s most popular partner in crime, Cyborg. The design for his suit is awful. Just awful. He looks like a mangled car wreck. Like someone crushed a ball of foil, put some lights on it and called it Cyborg.

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So, point being, if you think a strictly streaming service is going to consistently do justice for a character like Beast Boy, think again.

Seriously, set your bar really low. That way, they can either surprise you or it’ll turn out to be exactly what you expected. No disappointment necessary.