Ta-Nehisi Coates & J.J. Abrams Are Joining Forces For A New ‘Superman’ Movie

Superman
Image Courtesy of DC/Warner Bros.

The superhero you’d expect to have the breeziest time getting movies off the ground, has had his next project stuck up in the air (match). Superman is arguably one of the most famous heroes in the world. No one can argue with that. Yet he hasn’t been in a standalone film since 2013’s Man of Steel. That’s despite being a key player in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and all iterations of Justice League. It had been rumored for the last year that some form of film was in the world’s and now there’s been a little news the big blue boy scout has some big names coming to save his day.

Some stories are so huge, they need two outlets to do the heavy lifting. As first reported by Shadow & Act and then further confirmed by Deadline, Ta-Nehisi Coates will write the next Superman movie. That’s not all though, J.J. Abrams will be producing the flick through his company Bad Robot.

Having Abrams and that studio on board is massive. Not only does it infuse the picture with sizable capital, but allows Warner Bros. and DC to put more people in seats. Theoretically, since it worked with Star Trek and Star Wars, why wouldn’t it happen again with another out of this world series. No news yet as to who will direct. Same goes for if Henry Cavill or a new actor to play Ka-el has been or will be pursued.

“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates stated in a release sent to Shadow and Act. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”

Though some might be more excited in the involvement of Abrams, its Coates who makes this all interesting. When it comes to the world of writing, he’s done it all. He’s won awards for books he’s written. Been a journalist at The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Village Voice and TIME among others. Most importantly, as it factors in with Superman, he’s spent years cutting his teeth writing Black Panther and Captain America comics. His unique approach and view exactly what you’d hope for, when it comes to tackling a property as massive as this.

Besides the above, it appears everyone is in the dark on this film. Deadline directly refers to this as a “reboot”. Shadow & Act doesn’t really have anything. With the future of the DCEU diving both into multiverse territory and a separate (universe) Batman series, anything is possible. The question would be what the studio thinks people want. A non-connected film that can stand on its own? A feature that can be tied into plan forms in the next few years. It’s hard to say, but nevertheless they have everyone’s attention.

More on all this (eventually), as soon as more news breaks.

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