This evening brought the surprise news that Black Panther star and long time comic book fan Michael B. Jordan would be helping bring Milestone Comics character Static Shock to the big screen. Jordan is set to produce the film through his Warner Bros. based production company Outlier Society, but according to THR it would appear the studio and Jordan are planning much more than just a lone Static Shock movie. The trade calls the movie “an opportunity for not only for some world-building” for Jordan but also notes that “Should the first movie spark a hit, a multi-platform franchise could be born.”
Jordan himself seemingly alluded to this in his statement on the news, writing: “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around black superheroes; our community deserves that. Outlier Society is committed to bringing to life diverse comic book content across all platforms and we are excited to partner with Reggie and Warner Bros on this initial step.”
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Though the upcoming movie will seemingly just focus on Static/Virgil Hawkins, he comes packaged with a whole universe’s worth of characters that could make the leap to the big screen. Static is part of the Milestone brand of characters, developed by black creatives Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle. Their publishing brand featured many other heroic characters including Hardware, Icon, Xombi, and Kobalt, plus teams like Blood Syndicate and Shadow Cabinet, all of whom could easily make the leap to the big screen if Static Shock is a hit.
Though the first Static comic would be published in the early 1990s, the character would become a household name thanks to the early 2000s “Static Shock” animated series. DC Comics announced at this year’s FanDome that they’re reviving the Milestone line in a big way next year. Two comic series were officially announced including a digital-first Static Shock comic from Reginald Hudlin and a more traditional Icon & Rocket series from Hudlin and Denys Cowan. A Static Shock Graphic Novel from Hudlin and artist Kyle Baker is also set to debut
Considering the push by DC to bring the Milestone characters back into the modern conversation, a potential cinematic universe featuring the characters seems like a real no-brainer and possible hit for all parties involved. In the meantime no other parties have been announced as being attached to the project but the search for a director, writer, and star is no doubt underway.
