Wait a minute…might we actually get that Superman movie starring Michael B. Jordan? Maybe I’m jumping the gun and drawing connections where there are none, but with the news that acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates has been hired to pen a new Superman movie, one has to ask these questions. Why? Because few are more integral in charting the Black experience than Coates, and putting his brilliance to a Superman movie sounds absolutely incredible.
The news comes from Shadow and Act, who say Coates will write a Superman reboot produced by JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot label. So the elephant in the room: What’s up with Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill? Do they have any part to play in all of this? Well, we don’t know, but it’s clear that DC Films is taking the Man of Steel in an interesting new direction.
“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.”
JJ Abrams added, “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.”
That sounds like Snyder and Cavill won’t be involved, doesn’t it?
Coates explored issues of racism in the United States with his bestselling book, Between the World and Me, and has tackled the issue as well as writer of Marvel’s Black Panther comics. His voice, along with previous writer Christopher Priest, helped shape the way we look at the character now.
Exciting times. Now, somebody get Michael B. Jordan on the horn!
