Michael B. Jordan could soon be putting his acting superpowers to good use in the role of a lifetime. A new report suggests the actor and his company Outlier Society are working on a Superman project for HBO Max that would be focused on a Black version of the character.
However, this new Superman production would be entirely different from the movie that Warner Bros. currently has in its pipeline with J.J. Abrams as producer and Ta-Nehisi Coates on writing duties. Thanks to the overwhelmingly positive reception his Killmonger character got in the MCU’s Black Panther, Jordan has been heavily rumored to be the lead for that movie but apparently, the actor had other Superman plans of his own all along.
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According to several sources gathered by Collider, Jordan’s project would actually be an HBO Max miniseries centered on Val-Zod, a wholly different Kryptonian who alongside Kal-El survived the planet’s collapse and goes on to become the second person to take the mantle of Superman in DC’s Earth 2. Unlike Clark Kent, Val-Zod is depicted as a Black man in his comic book iterations and he initially uses his powers to fight against a corrupted Superman, which is seen as a key factor by Jordan, who could both star in and produce this limited series.
Jordan has always felt flattered by the rumor, yet the same reports point out that he would not be too interested in portraying Clark Kent as an African American when there are already perfectly suitable versions of Superman who are originally Black in the comics, such as Val-Zod or Calvin Ellis. Reportedly, Jordan fears that simply swapping Jor-El's race could take away from the meaning of said representation. Even if someone like Zack Snyder is excited over a Black Superman lead, Warner Bros.' decision on the movie project has been the subject of controversy in certain fan circles.
Currently, Jordan has a lot on his plate now that's he's set to follow the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone by making his directorial debut in Creed III and taking a similar producer role in the superhero genre with Static Shock, besides his usual line of acting work. Outlier Society already has a decent portfolio of films where Jordan also plays key roles such as the recent Tom Clancy flick Without Remorse, Just Mercy, and the HBO movie Fahrenheit 451.
Over in Wakandan territory, while there’s no indication Jordan would return in any capacity to reprise his role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the actor does have another interesting Marvel role premiering in a couple of weeks on Disney Plus. Jordan will continue to voice Erik Killmonger in What If…? alongside the late Chadwick Boseman.
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Source: Collider
