Michael B. Jordan To Star In Methuselah Directed By Danny Boyle

Oscar winner Danny Boyle has found his next project and he's teaming up with Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan for a major feature film. Variety reports that the Slumdog Millionaire director and the Creed star will join forces for Methuselah at Warner Bros. The film was originally set to be based on the figure from the Bible who lived to the age of 969 years old, his advanced age perhaps the result of a translation error or to pinpoint the extended amount of time between the figure and others in the book of Genesis (notably, Noah). That said, the trade reports that this is no longer the pitch being used for the film.

Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who penned Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours for Boyle previously, is reportedly being eyed to rewrite the script which will be "a new approach with the plot." Tony Gilroy of Nightcrawler and Rogue One previously penned the script for the film.

Jordan isn't just attached to star in the film but will also produce through his Outlier Society banner. Boyle and David Heyman (of the Harry Potter franchise) will also produce.

This marks a first time collaboration for Danny Boyle with Warner Bros., having previously produced most of his feature films with either 20th Century Fox or Universal. Boyle directed The Beatles inspired rom-com Yesterday which was released last year to critical acclaim and proved to have real legs at the box office as counter programming to films like Toy Story 4 and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Boyle's other credits include Steve Jobs, Sunshine, and 28 Days Later.

Methuselah marks the latest collaboration between Michael B. Jordan and Warner Bros. Pictures, having previously distributed the legal drama Just Mercy that starred the actor last year. The actor and studio have reportedly been keen to continue working together with reports surfacing previously that they'd met about Jordan taking on the part of Superman on the big screen. Despite what seemed like a good meeting in the earlier report, Jordan reportedly isn't ready to commit to playing Superman because of WB's lack of commitment to the character. In the mean time Methuselah will likely serve as a benchmark for him and the studio.

Jordan can next be seen in Without Remorse, taking on the role of Tom Clancy hero John Clark in what the actor and Paramount Pictures hopes will become a full fledged franchise in the making. Directed by Stefano Sollima, Without remorse was previously scheduled for a September 18, but due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic it's unclear if the film will make that date or not.

(Cover photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic, Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images)