Remember a few years ago when acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was developing a Black Superman movie for Warner Bros.? Ever wonder what happened to that since James Gunn and Peter Safran launched DC Studios? Well, wonder no more. As most, including yours truly, suspected, the film was quietly canned by Warner Bros. Discover CEO David Laslav. Why? Because it was “too woke.”
The report comes from the Wall Street Journal in a piece about the high stakes surrounding James Gunn’s Superman, which is in theaters now. Buried in the story is a bit about Zaslav, who became CEO of WBD in April 2022, taking one look at the script and dismissing it as “too woke”, killing the project right then and there.
Coates’ film would’ve followed an African-American Superman during the civil rights era. The project got a lot of attention at the time, and the hunt was on for a Black filmmaker to direct it. Ryan Coogler was connected to it, and so was Barry Jenkins. Michael B. Jordan was developing a parallel project in a similar vein.
This is unsurprising if you’ve followed Zaslav at all. He has openly courted right wing extremists, to the severe detriment of CNN which has tanked in the ratings. Of course, he would think a Black Superman movie would be “woke”, the buzzword favored by bigots who disapprove of anything that encourages diversity.
The irony of all of this is that those same people are complaining about Gunn’s Superman, led by white actor David Corenswet, for also being “too woke” because it dares to be political. Just goes to show that you can’t make some folks happy unless you represent all of their values and only their values.
As recently as January 2024, Gunn was saying that Coates’ Superman project was still on. The script is still owned by WB, probably crammed in the back of a desk somewhere or lining someone’s birdcage, so technically it could happen. I think it would be a gigantic smash hit if it did, especially if Coogler were the director. But until Zaslav is gone, don’t hold your breath.
