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Update: February 26, 2021
J.J. Abrams, Ta-Nehisi Coates to Reboot SUPERMAN with Plans to Cast a Black Actor for the Role
After remaining grounded for far too long, Superman is finally ready to fly again. Though this time, when he returns, he’ll be made new once again. Warner Bros. is rebooting Superman with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and producer J.J. Abrams.
On the Abrams front, his involvement doesn’t come as a surprise as the filmmaker has long been rumored to tackle Superman since his production company Bad Robot struck a deal with WarnerMedia. This isn’t the first time Abrams has circled a Superman film – he wrote Superman: Flyby in the early 2000s which was eventually shelved in favor of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006).
As for Coates, the acclaimed author and journalist known for his non-fiction work concerning African-Americans, The Beautiful Struggle, Between the World and Me, We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, carved out a space in the world of superheroes as the ongoing writer of Black Panther and Captain America for Marvel Comics. Together, Coates and Abrams, have the opportunity extend the DCEU’s lens into its ever-growing multiverse.
A Superman reboot comes on the heels of The CW’s recent series, Superman & Lois, the casting of Sasha Calle as Supergirl in The Flash, and Henry Cavill’s upcoming, previously filmed but unreleased, interpretation in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It seems DC’s Kryptonians are once again having their day in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that this new Superman project is aiming to star a Black Superman. It’s possible that this will be another version of Clark Kent, but more intriguing is the possibility that it will be either Calvin Ellis or Val-Zod, Supermen from within DC’s comic book multiverse. Calvin Ellis, created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke first appeared in Final Crisis No. 7 (2009). Inspired by Barack Obama, this iteration of Superman is also President of the United States of America, and uses his superpowers to directly confront global politics, alongside his own iteration of the Justice League that includes Wonder Woman, Nubia. Val-Zod, created by Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott and Robson Rocha, first appeared in Earth 2 No. 19 (2014). The Superman of Earth 2, Val-Zod was adopted by Jor-El, and sent to Earth along with Kal-El. Raised by pacifist parents on Earth, Val became Superman when Darkseid’s forces invaded his planet.
Of course, rebooting Superman raises questions about Henry Cavill’s future in the DCEU, a future that many fans have been keeping their fingers crossed for. Despite rumors of cameos in upcoming DCEU projects, Henry Cavill’s solo Superman sequel never moved forward, despite filmmakers like Christopher McQuarrie expressing interest. With Zack Snyder’s Justice League set to premiere on HBO Max in March, fans are already wondering if it will mark a swan song for Cavill’s tenure, just as it seemed his future might finally be taking shape again.
It’s too soon to count Cavill’s Clark Kent out yet, as Coates and Abrams Superman seems to be something else entirely, an expansion of the mythos rather than a replacement. In the same way that Matt Reeves’ The Batman isn’t preventing Ben Affleck from reprising the role in The Flash, it seems this new Superman movie will ultimately be additive, allowing a range of visionaries to present their own take on these iconic characters all under the limitless potential of the multiverse. If anything, it seems we’ll be getting more Superman rather than less. And with this reboot, there is room to tackle something we’ve never seen onscreen before.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ta-nehisi-coates-and-the-future-of-superman
_____________________________________________________
Update: September 11, 2018
Henry Cavill Out as Superman as Warner Bros. Considering Michael B. Jordan for Role
The DC cinematic universe appears to be losing its Man of Steel. Henry Cavill, who has played Superman in three films, is parting ways with Warner Bros., sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Though neither side is confirming, the British actor, who first donned the blue suit for 2013's Man of Steel, and then starred in 2016's Batman v. Superman and last year's Justice League, is said to be hanging up the red cape.
Warners had been trying to enlist Cavill, who most recently co-starred in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, for a Superman cameo in Shazam!, which stars Zachary Levi and will bow April 5. But contract talks between Cavill's WME reps and Warners broke down, and the door is now closing on other potential Superman appearances.
That's because the studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill's age from the storyline's equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.
Furthermore, Warners isn't likely to make a solo Superman film for at least several years, according to another source. "Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors," says a studio source. As such, Cavill will join Ben Affleck, who isn't expected to reprise his role for director Matt Reeves' forthcoming Batman stand-alone film, as a hero on the way out.
A Warners source says the Shazam! deal fell apart because of scheduling conflicts. And that is backed up by the fact that Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. However, another source says that the Witcher commitment came after the Warners impasse, suggesting a change in Warners' strategy.
"There's a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn't work," says the studio insider. Another source says Warners is trying to hit a "reset" button with the DC universe, steering its ship slowly into another direction.
While Affleck and Cavill are segueing out, others who were seen together onscreen in Justice League are carrying forward. Gal Gadot is returning for Wonder Woman 1984, to hit theaters in November 2019. Jason Momoa headlines a solo Aquaman movie this December. And Ezra Miller remains on board to star in a Flash movie, which is due to shoot in early 2019.
Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara and chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group Toby Emmerich are looking to reinvigorate the studio's DC Universe, which is still playing second fiddle to the Marvel Universe in terms of box office and critical acclaim. Just six years ago, when The Dark Knight Rises closed out the Christopher Nolan trilogy, DC was the superhero team with the mojo. But so far, only Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman spinoff has lived up to the promise of the franchise.
What Warners hasn't done is wiped the slate clean in one fell swoop, something that is nigh impossible to do given the years of planning that goes into these films. When asked about the studio Sept. 6 at an investor conference, new WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said, "Hats off to Kevin and Toby and their team." But he also took a shot at DC. "Some of our franchises, in particular at DC, we all think we can do better."
According to Deadline, the word has been out that Warner Bros. has been mulling a completely different direction with its Superman canon for some time, even considering casting Michael B. Jordan in the role down the road.
Henry Cavill Out as Superman Amid Warner Bros.' DC Universe Shake-Up (Exclusive)
J.J. Abrams, Ta-Nehisi Coates to Reboot SUPERMAN with Plans to Cast a Black Actor for the Role
After remaining grounded for far too long, Superman is finally ready to fly again. Though this time, when he returns, he’ll be made new once again. Warner Bros. is rebooting Superman with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and producer J.J. Abrams.
On the Abrams front, his involvement doesn’t come as a surprise as the filmmaker has long been rumored to tackle Superman since his production company Bad Robot struck a deal with WarnerMedia. This isn’t the first time Abrams has circled a Superman film – he wrote Superman: Flyby in the early 2000s which was eventually shelved in favor of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006).
As for Coates, the acclaimed author and journalist known for his non-fiction work concerning African-Americans, The Beautiful Struggle, Between the World and Me, We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, carved out a space in the world of superheroes as the ongoing writer of Black Panther and Captain America for Marvel Comics. Together, Coates and Abrams, have the opportunity extend the DCEU’s lens into its ever-growing multiverse.
A Superman reboot comes on the heels of The CW’s recent series, Superman & Lois, the casting of Sasha Calle as Supergirl in The Flash, and Henry Cavill’s upcoming, previously filmed but unreleased, interpretation in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It seems DC’s Kryptonians are once again having their day in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that this new Superman project is aiming to star a Black Superman. It’s possible that this will be another version of Clark Kent, but more intriguing is the possibility that it will be either Calvin Ellis or Val-Zod, Supermen from within DC’s comic book multiverse. Calvin Ellis, created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke first appeared in Final Crisis No. 7 (2009). Inspired by Barack Obama, this iteration of Superman is also President of the United States of America, and uses his superpowers to directly confront global politics, alongside his own iteration of the Justice League that includes Wonder Woman, Nubia. Val-Zod, created by Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott and Robson Rocha, first appeared in Earth 2 No. 19 (2014). The Superman of Earth 2, Val-Zod was adopted by Jor-El, and sent to Earth along with Kal-El. Raised by pacifist parents on Earth, Val became Superman when Darkseid’s forces invaded his planet.
Of course, rebooting Superman raises questions about Henry Cavill’s future in the DCEU, a future that many fans have been keeping their fingers crossed for. Despite rumors of cameos in upcoming DCEU projects, Henry Cavill’s solo Superman sequel never moved forward, despite filmmakers like Christopher McQuarrie expressing interest. With Zack Snyder’s Justice League set to premiere on HBO Max in March, fans are already wondering if it will mark a swan song for Cavill’s tenure, just as it seemed his future might finally be taking shape again.
It’s too soon to count Cavill’s Clark Kent out yet, as Coates and Abrams Superman seems to be something else entirely, an expansion of the mythos rather than a replacement. In the same way that Matt Reeves’ The Batman isn’t preventing Ben Affleck from reprising the role in The Flash, it seems this new Superman movie will ultimately be additive, allowing a range of visionaries to present their own take on these iconic characters all under the limitless potential of the multiverse. If anything, it seems we’ll be getting more Superman rather than less. And with this reboot, there is room to tackle something we’ve never seen onscreen before.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ta-nehisi-coates-and-the-future-of-superman
_____________________________________________________
Update: September 11, 2018
Henry Cavill Out as Superman as Warner Bros. Considering Michael B. Jordan for Role
The DC cinematic universe appears to be losing its Man of Steel. Henry Cavill, who has played Superman in three films, is parting ways with Warner Bros., sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Though neither side is confirming, the British actor, who first donned the blue suit for 2013's Man of Steel, and then starred in 2016's Batman v. Superman and last year's Justice League, is said to be hanging up the red cape.
Warners had been trying to enlist Cavill, who most recently co-starred in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, for a Superman cameo in Shazam!, which stars Zachary Levi and will bow April 5. But contract talks between Cavill's WME reps and Warners broke down, and the door is now closing on other potential Superman appearances.
That's because the studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill's age from the storyline's equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.
Furthermore, Warners isn't likely to make a solo Superman film for at least several years, according to another source. "Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors," says a studio source. As such, Cavill will join Ben Affleck, who isn't expected to reprise his role for director Matt Reeves' forthcoming Batman stand-alone film, as a hero on the way out.
A Warners source says the Shazam! deal fell apart because of scheduling conflicts. And that is backed up by the fact that Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. However, another source says that the Witcher commitment came after the Warners impasse, suggesting a change in Warners' strategy.
"There's a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn't work," says the studio insider. Another source says Warners is trying to hit a "reset" button with the DC universe, steering its ship slowly into another direction.
While Affleck and Cavill are segueing out, others who were seen together onscreen in Justice League are carrying forward. Gal Gadot is returning for Wonder Woman 1984, to hit theaters in November 2019. Jason Momoa headlines a solo Aquaman movie this December. And Ezra Miller remains on board to star in a Flash movie, which is due to shoot in early 2019.
Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara and chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group Toby Emmerich are looking to reinvigorate the studio's DC Universe, which is still playing second fiddle to the Marvel Universe in terms of box office and critical acclaim. Just six years ago, when The Dark Knight Rises closed out the Christopher Nolan trilogy, DC was the superhero team with the mojo. But so far, only Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman spinoff has lived up to the promise of the franchise.
What Warners hasn't done is wiped the slate clean in one fell swoop, something that is nigh impossible to do given the years of planning that goes into these films. When asked about the studio Sept. 6 at an investor conference, new WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said, "Hats off to Kevin and Toby and their team." But he also took a shot at DC. "Some of our franchises, in particular at DC, we all think we can do better."
According to Deadline, the word has been out that Warner Bros. has been mulling a completely different direction with its Superman canon for some time, even considering casting Michael B. Jordan in the role down the road.
Henry Cavill Out as Superman Amid Warner Bros.' DC Universe Shake-Up (Exclusive)
