John Boyega Says He’s Too Old to Play Static Shock

While there were a lot of cool surprises during last week’s DC FanDome there’s one that many comics fans absolutely didn’t even dream was coming. During the surprise Milestone Comics panel during the virtual event, Reginald Hudlin confirmed that there are talks about developing a Static Shock movie. As soon as the news broke, fans immediately began fancasting the film, debating amongst themselves who they thought would be perfect in the role and Star Wars star John Boyega‘s name up came quite a lot. However, fans might want to slow down a bit. Boyega says he’s too old for the iconic role.

On Twitter on Wednesday, Boyega replied to a fan who said that he should play Static Shock in the live-action adaptation. While quite a few fans agreed with the idea, Boyega said that he was too old — but he did have an idea of the sort of actor who should get the role.

“Too old!” Boyega wrote. “I’d love to see a newcomer!”

Created by Milestone Comics founders Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, Virgil Hawkins/Static is, in comics, a teenager who, after being doused with an experimental chemical in a gang war gains a variety of electromagnetic powers and becomes a costumed crusader against crime. Given the character’s age, Boyega may have a point that he’s “too old” to play the beloved character, but he also had some thoughts about another fan’s suggestion: that he could perhaps play Static’s dad.

“Girl!” Boyega wrote. “Too YOUNG damn!”

While fans are certainly excited about the prospect of a Static Shock movie, it’s important to note that it’s not going to manifest all that soon. As Hudlin confirmed, things are in the talks stage and there have been numerous attempts to adapt Static into other mediums since the Static Shock animated series ended. There have been multiple fan films, but most notably there was a failed live-action digital series that was rumored to star Jaden Smith. For years, fans have asked to see Static to appear in The CW’s Black Lightning live-action series.

“I love the idea of Static Shock, and in success, hopefully, we’ll be able to pull other characters in that way,” Black Lightning producer Salim Akil said in 2017. “So, I’m holding out hope because I love that character.”

What do you think about Boyega’s comments? Let us know in the comment section!