Michael B. Jordan is Making His Own Black Superman Project for HBO Max

This is huge. Actor Michael B. Jordan, long rumored to be associated with a Superman project to various degrees, is reportedly taking matters into his own hands for HBO Max.

Collider has the scoop that Jordan will be developing his own iteration of Superman entirely separate from the traditional Kal-el. Instead, the focus will be on Val-Zod, a Black character described as “…one of the last Kryptonians of his universe and the second to use the mantle of Superman.” There are no details yet whether this will be a limited series for the streaming service or a feature film, but Jordan is expected to be a hands-on producer and possibly even star as this version of Superman.

A Black-led Superman film that will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot company and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates was announced earlier this year. Rumors swirled about Jordan’s potential involvement at the time, but he spoke in less-than-glowing terms about his interest level in actually playing the title character:

“I mean, I’m flattered that I keep coming up in conversation in these rumors to play characters like that. I mean, as you know, I’ve been rumored to play so many different characters over the years. I mean, at this point, it’s flattering, I’m humbled by it. And whoever ends up stepping into that role, it’s definitely one to look for.”

Now, however, Jordan’s attitude seems to have shifted over time. Collider further details that a turning point arrived after a recent editorial for Black Girl Nerds that spoke on the topic of racebending as it pertains to the Black community. By all accounts:

“…Jordan has not wanted to engage in conversations about racebending Kal-El for the same reasons many of the fans are pushing back on the current Warner Bros. re-imagined version of Clark Kent, but that he would be interested in engaging on a Black Superman project centering on the Val-Zod storyline.”

What To Know About Val-Zod

Multiple iterations of the same superhero character at various levels of continuity remain the new trend these days, as WB/DC has multiple versions of its iconic library of heroes co-existing across film and television (and that’s not even counting the upcoming, multiverse-spanning The Flash film). Val-Zod is right in line with that new focus. Hailing from Earth 2, the character was left an orphan by his own Kryptonian race before the planet’s destruction. He narrowly managed to survive the cataclysmic event along with Kal-el and Kara among others and landed on Earth where he was found by Terry Sloan.

We know little else about this project, but more details are sure to start rolling in. Stay tuned to /Film for more!

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