While Warner Bros. As Discovery continues to revamp its slate of superhero movies with the expanded DC Universe, one name that stays front and center in fans’ minds is Superman. Much of this stems from Henry Cavill’s long absence from the big screen as the Man of Steel, although rumors have suggested that Superman may experience a resurgence in more than one form.
A recent report revealed that WBD has plans for a movie described as “basically…man of steel 2“, finally bringing Cavill back as an iconic DC hero more than half a decade after his last canon DCEU appearance in Justice League. But much to the chagrin of fans, this is already the third different Superman-centric project in development by Warner Bros., as the company continues to try to keep Superman relevant on the big screen.
Now, a new official report has confirmed that one of these new entries is still in full development, even after news of Cavill’s unexpected return broke.
The Black Superman movie keeps moving forward
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Superman movie is still set to go into production for Warner Bros. Discovery, even after reports indicated the company was moving forward with a sequel to the 2013 one. Steel man.
The report shared that JJ Abrams is still attached to produce the film, although no production schedule was shared:
“It’s unclear where Superman’s moves leave Abrams, who is still on track to produce Coates’ film centered on Krypton’s Last Son.”
If this news turns out to be true, it would go against the “10 year plan” which WBD CEO David Zaslav described in August 2022, which would mirror Disney’s process with Marvel Studios through Infinity Saga and Multiverse Saga.
What is DC’s real plan with Superman?
At its grassroots level, having a Black Superman movie in development should be a positive sign for Warner Bros., as the company looks to introduce a new type of Superman into the equation other than Clark Kent. This comes on top of Sasha Calle’s 2023 debut as Supergirl the flasheven if we still don’t know how important his role will be in this multiversal adventure.
But looking at the big picture, fitting more than one Superman movie into the equation apparently goes against the company’s plan to have a streamlined story with continuity. And it’s not the only case that proves that Warner Bros. does not stick to this plan.
The company already has at least two separate Jokers for appearances in the coming years, with Joaquin Phoenix Joker get its own sequel in 2024 and Barry Keoghan featured as the Clown Prince of Crime earlier this year in The Batman. Even though the Joker is more of a supporting character, having such a popular villain represented in two separate universes shows that the team behind the DC Universe is willing to do it elsewhere as well.
At this time, there is no timeline on when a version of Superman will be used in a prominent role in the larger DC Universe, although rumors indicate he will play a part in the post scene. -credits from this week’s Black Adam. But with the whole strategy of Warner Bros. still clearly up in the air, fans will just have to wait and see what happens to this Black Superman movie or any iteration of the character.
