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New details have been revealed about the next Superman movie. The film is being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and will be produced by JJ Abrams.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC and parent company Warner Bros are “committed” to hiring a Black director to helm the movie, which will feature a Black superman for the first time. Among the names that are being considered are Steven Caple Jr (Creed II), Regina King (One Night in Miami), Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), and J.D. Dillard (Utopia, The Twilight Zone). While JJ Abrams is obviously a hugely successful director, THR’s sources state it would be “tone-deaf” for Abrams himself to direct.
However, there’s no news yet on who might play Superman himself. While Creed and Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan was previously rumoured to be under consideration, he told THR that he wouldn’t be taking on the role. “I’m flattered that people have me in that conversation,” he said. “It’s definitely a compliment, but I’m just watching on this one.”
As for the movie’s plot, Coates is reportedly writing an origin story that will see Kal-El arrive on Earth from Krypton. One idea being considered is that the movie is a “20th century period piece.” In addition, the current plan is that the movie will stand alone from other DC films and won’t be part of an existing universe.
Coates is known as a journalist and non-fiction writer as well as for his comic books. His work in comics include a number of Black Panther and Captain America series for Marvel, as well as working as a consultant on the Eisner Award-winning World of Wakanda. Coates’s non-fiction books include The Beautiful Struggle, Between the World and Me, and We Were Eight Years in Power, which collected his essays about the Obama presidency.
Superman was last played by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of the Justice, and both versions of Justice League.
