Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment today announced that Gotham executive producers John Stephens and Danny Cannon will explore the world of Metropolis in an all-new live-action drama series to air exclusively on the upcoming DC-branded direct-to-consumer digital service, operated by Warner Bros. Digital Networks. Metropolis has received a direct-to-series order for a first season of 13 episodes and will go into production later this year for a debut on the service in 2019. If you're expecting to see Superman in this series though, that may not happen, at least not right away.

Set in the wondrous and awe-inspiring City of Tomorrow before the arrival of Superman, Metropolis follows Lois Lane and Lex Luthor as they investigate the world of fringe science and expose the city's dark and bizarre secrets. The formula for this series is quite similar to Fox's Gotham, which is set several years before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. There is no indication about exactly when this show is set, in terms of how many years it takes place before the Man of Steel finally arrives, but it's possible that Superman may never surface on the show, but even if he does, it's clear he won't surface right away.

The order for Metropolis marks the fourth announced series for the new DC digital service, which will deliver an immersive experience designed just for DC fans. Additional programs include Warner Bros. Television's live-action drama Titans, as well as Harley Quinn, a new animated series from Warner Bros. Animation's and Young Justice: Outsiders, the third season of the hit Young Justice animated series. As of now, there are two live-action shows and two animated shows that have been ordered for this DC streaming service, so it will be interesting to see if DC keeps that balance between live-action and animated programming intact.

The DC streaming service will launch later this year with either the Titans live-action series or Young Justice: Outsiders, both of which have been slated for a 2018 debut, but no official dates have been given for either of these series premieres, or the launch date for this streaming service. There has been no indication yet if all of these shows will be set in the same universe, allowing for crossover potential. The live-action Titans series stars Brenton Thwaites as Nightwing, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Teagan Croft as Raven, Anna Diop as Starfire, Alan Ritchson as Hawk and Minka Kelly as Dove.

John Stephens (Gotham, Gossip Girl, The O.C., Gilmore Girls) and Danny Cannon (Gotham, Nikita, CSI series) are the executive producers of Metropolis. Danny Cannon will direct the first episode, from a teleplay by John Stephens, with story by Cannon and Stephens. Based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, published by DC, Metropolis is produced by Warner Bros. Television. For updates on Metropolis and the other exciting new series and the upcoming DC digital service, visit DCFanUpdates.com. Take a look at the Metropolis comic book artwork below, as we wait for more updates on this highly-anticipated series.