As anticipation builds for Raising Dion, Netflix’s upcoming superhero family drama from Michael B. Jordan, we’ve included a short list of everything you need to know about the series before adding it on your binge-watch list:
1. The plot
Raising Dion follows Nicole Reese (Alisha Wainwright), a single mother who raises her son, Dion (Ja’Siah Young), after the death of her husband, Mark. The hurdles of raising a son as a single mom are exacerbated when Dion starts to display magical, superhero-like abilities. With the help of her best friend, Pat, Nicole must proceed to keep her son’s powers a secret and protect him from antagonists hell-bent on exploiting the young boy while deciphering the origins of his powers. Jordan, Jason Ritter, Jazmyn Simon also star.
2. It’s based on a comic book.
Like all great superhero stories, Raising Dion is also based on the comic book of the same name by Dennis Liu, a commercial/music video director. Liu will direct and exec produce the series.
3. A short film was also made.
In a form of promotion for the comic book, Liu wrote and directed the short film, which stars Upenda Morton, Nyri Haywood, James Clark, Geroge Schroder and Aldous Davidson. The short film seamlessly captures the book’s whimsical yet foreboding tone, something that will hopefully transfer to the Netflix adaptation.
4. Michael B. Jordan is not the lead, but a supporting character and is also executive producing.
To clear some misconceptions regarding Jordan’s role in Raising Dion, the A-list actor is not the lead actor. Instead, Jordan will be in the Netflix series as Mark, a supporting character and the deceased father of Dion and late husband of Nicole. Jordan will also be serving as executive producer for the upcoming superhero family drama.
5. There is currently a debate on social media about the casting of its two leads.
There’s currently a conversation brewing on social media surrounding colorism in Hollywood and the casting of its leads. Their castings have received criticism online, with many pointing out the mother-son duo of Wainwright and Young is noticeably lighter complexioned than the duo show in the short film and the depiction of Nicole and Dion in the comic books.
