Just days after the premiere of Superman & Lois did huge numbers for The CW, it’s finally official: JJ Abrams is working on a new Superman movie. After years of rumors to that effect, WarnerMedia has finally made it official, as Abrams will produce a new Superman feature film written by best-selling author and comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is not immediately clear whether Henry Cavill will return to reprise the role in this Superman movie, although Coates’s initial statement suggests that his movie will be in the shared continuity of DC’s film universe, colloquially known by fans as the “DC Extended Universe.”
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The film will be the first Superman solo film since 2013’s Man of Steel, which introduced Cavill’s version of the Kryptonian hero. Directed by Zack Snyder, that movie inspired two direct sequels — Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League — but those were mutli-hero movies, and fans have long clamored for another solo outing for Superman.
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates told Shadow and Act in a statement. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
Coates is well-known for his essays, books, and comics documenting the African-American experience, and that may lead some fans to suspect those rumors about a Michael B. Jordan-led Superman movie could come back into play. That’s a big, but not unreasonable leap to make. Still, Coates is a talented writer who has tackled plenty of non-Black characters, including an acclaimed run on Marvel’s Captain America.
“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told,” Abrams added. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity.”
There is no director attached at this point, although Abrams himself has pitched Superman movies before, notably Superman: Flyby, in which he screen tested future Supermen Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill before the film fell apart.
“Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me opened a window and changed the way many of us see the world,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “We’re confident that his take on Superman will give fans a new and exciting way to see the Man of Steel.”
Whether that new way to see Superman includes recasting is not yet clear. The Shadow and Act story said that a search is underway for a star, which presumably suggests it is being recast, but it could just mean that Warner Bros. is keeping its options open. Cavill has repeatedly voiced a desire to step back into Superman’s cape.
Last week, The Young and the Restless star Sasha Calle was cast in the role of Supergirl for 2022’s The Flash.
Are you excited to see a new take on Superman? And would you rather see him recast or bring back Henry Cavill for the part? Sound off in the comments.
