The upcomingSuperman Rebootin the works from Warner Bros. and DC Films will reportedly take place outside of the DCEU, with the project introducing a new incarnation of Kal-El as the first Black Superman. Previously, it was announced that Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing the script for a newSupermanmovie with J. J. Abrams producing. No additional information was revealed at the time.
In a new story published by The Hollywood Reporter, additional details about the project were revealed. According to the outlet,Ta-Nehisi Coatesis “crafting a Kal-El in the vein of the original Superman comics and will have the protagonist hail from Krypton and come to Earth.” One option that’s also under consideration is for the movie to be a 20th century period piece. The reboot will reportedly be set in its own universe outside of the DCEU as well, similar to other standalone DC projects likeJokerandThe Batman.
It’s still unclear who will be directing the project, but Abrams is reportedly not in the running. THR’s insiders say the production team is committed to hiring a Black director to develop what will become the “first cinematic incarnation of Superman featuring a Black actor.” There’s still no word on a potential actor to take the role, but the star could end up becoming a relative unknown - similar to Brandon Routh withSuperman Returnsand Henry Cavill withMan of Steelat the time.
Michael B. Jordan’s name has come upa lot with fans as a potential star of the movie. While there have long been rumors of Jordan trying to get aSupermanmovie off the ground at Warner Bros., the actor and filmmaker has made it clear he’s not attached to this particular project, at least not at this time.
“I’m flatteredthat people have me in that conversation,” Jordan told THR. “It’s definitely a compliment, but I’m just watching on this one.”
The future of Cavill’s Kal-El remains unclear, but for fans wanting to see more of him in the role, the good news is that it’s always possible he could reprise the role one day in the future. With movies likeAquaman 2andThe Flashin the works, the DCEU continues to move forward as well. There have been reports of Warner Bros. developing two separate Batman franchises at the same time, so this newSupermanreboot doesn’t necessarily rule out a Cavill return.
Because little had been revealed about theSupermanreboot when it was first announced, there was speculation that it might still be set in the DCEU. This could have allowed for Cavill to still potentially appear as Kal-El as well, if the new protagonist of the reboot was Val-Zod - one of the last Kryptonians who succeeds Kal-El as Superman in the comics. If the reports are accurate, Coates’Supermanreboot might take instead more inspiration from the Calvin Ellis version of Kal-El.
As it stands now, no release date has been attached to the newSupermanmovie. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
