Superman is taking flight on the big screen once again as Shadow And Act has revealed that Warner Bros. has hired J.J. Abrams and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates to develop a Superman reboot.
Coates will write the script for the reboot while Abrams will produce through Bad Robot alongside Hannah Minghella. There is no word on plot or director yet, but it seems WB will make this new Superman film a fresh reboot with a new actor rather than have Henry Cavill reprise his Man of Steel role as the titular hero.
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” said Coates. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity,” said J.J. Abrams.
According to THR, the reboot is being set up as a Black Superman story, likely following the character of Calvin Ellis, an alternate version of Superman from Earth-23. Such a project was rumoured back in 2018, with Michael B. Jordan linked to the role of Calvin and the actor expressing his interest in bringing him to the screen. It’s possible that the studio may return to Jordan once again if and when the project reaches the casting stage.
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Coates has written several books with his 2015 book Between The World and Me adapted as a documentary for HBO. He is also known for writing the Captain America and Black Panther comics for Marvel recently. Abrams previously wrote Superman: Flyby, a reboot of the Superman franchise before WB hired Bryan Singer to direct 2006’s Superman Returns.
The news comes off the recent announcement Sasha Calle will play Supergirl in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. It is unknown if Calle’s Supergirl and Coates’ Superman reboot will connect in any way. As for Cavill, while his future as Superman is uncertain he will be seen again as the Man of Steel in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Snyder’s own cut of the 2017 film Justice League. This week also saw the premiere of Superman & Lois on The CW with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the characters. For fans of Superman, it is a good time to get lots of different media of the Man of Steel.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
