Just a little over two months after Warner Bros.announced that Ta-Nehisi Coates, who’s done award-winning work in the Marvel realm with his Black Panther and Captain America comics, is penning the script for a Superman reboot, The Hollywood Reporter reports that the studio is “committed” to hiring Black director to helm the forthcoming project, and has already begun its search.
THR speculates that the list of potential directors could include Creed II’s Steven Caple Jr., J.D. Dillard, Regina King, who’s coming off her Oscar-nominated drama One Night in Miami, and Shaka King, whose critically acclaimed 2020 film, Judas and the Black Messiah, earned the director an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Barry Jenkins was also mentioned as a possibility.
While some potential directors have already met with both Warner Bros. and DC regarding the film, one Hollywood agent toldTHR that the process was “phenomenally early.”
This Superman movie won’t be part of the core DC movie universe, THRconfirms. Instead, Coates is crafting a new take on Kal-El “in the vein of the original Superman comics and will have the protagonist hail from Krypton and come to Earth,” one that could be a “20th century period piece.”
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates said in a February statement. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
While rumors have swirled that Michael B. Jordan might be tapped to play Superman in the upcoming reboot, the 34-year-old actor suggested to THR in April that he would not be suiting up for the role.
“It’s smart of DC to grab Ta-Nehisi to go ahead and adapt that project,” Jordan said. “He’s incredibly talented. It’s going to be worth checking out. I’m flattered that people have me in that conversation. It’s definitely a compliment, but I’m just watching on this one.”
Elsewhere in the article, THR mentioned that a Joker sequel is being planned, reiterating their report from 2019, despite the fact that Deadline contradicted that report when it originally came out.
