JJ Abrams’ Superman Movie Searching for Black Director

Warner Bros. and DC are looking to bring another Superman to the big screen, as the companies are working with producer J.J. Abrams and award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates to deliver a new Superman film that will star a Black actor in the titular role. There’s no word yet as to who will be putting on the cape for the new venture (though Michael B. Jordan has seemingly taken himself out of the running), but the first hurdle for Warners is finding a director to bring it all to life.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and DC are looking for a Black director to helm the film, which will be the first to depict Clark Kent as Black on-screen. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given that the film will center on a Black character. Then again, Warner Bros. has had a less-than-stellar track record of dealing with these types of issues, though the company seems to be trying to turn the corner by hiring more diverse casts and creators for DC projects going forward.

The new report from THR suggests that several directors have met with DC about the project, revealing a potential shortlist for the position. Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II), J.D. Dillard (Sweetheart), Regina King (One Night in Miami) and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah) are all mentioned as part of the list for the new Superman film. The piece also brings up more established names, such as Barry Jenkins and Ryan Coogler, though they would be much tougher to land, considering their schedules. Coogler is preparing to film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year, while Jenkins has been in talks with Disney to direct a sequel to The Lion King.

The process of finding a director for Superman will likely take a while. This is a massive film for Warner Bros., and Coates isn’t expected to turn in his script until the end of this year. So it could be some time before a director is named. Then again, the studio may want a director on board before the script is completed, so they can work alongside Coates in some capacity.

Of the names mentioned, pay close attention to Shaka King. The filmmaker was recently nominated for two Oscars for Judas and the Black Messiah, which came from Warner Bros. The studio has already worked with King and received tremendous results, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see executives go back to him for a project of this magnitude. Not to mention King absolutely knocked it out of the park with Judas, and quickly established himself as one of the premiere up-and-coming filmmakers in the industry.

Who would you like to see direct the new Superman film? Let us know in the comments!