Warner Bros. is searching for a Black Superman for the reboot

The studio is also looking for a Black director to helm the movie

Warner Bros. is searching for a Black Superman for the reboot 1

It has been over two months since it was revealed that J.J. Abrams is rebooting Superman for Warner Bros. with a Black actor stepping into the role of the iconic DC superhero. And while the film studio is still searching for the right actor to play this new version of the Man of Steel, Michael B. Jordan, who is among the fan favorites to suit up as Black Superman in the movie, recently dismissed rumors that he’s going to be the star of the reboot.

“I’m flattered that people have me in that conversation,” Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter late last month while promoting his Amazon Prime film Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. “It’s definitely a compliment, but I’m just watching on this one.”

Though casting a popular actor as Black Superman is seemingly a safe bet, The Hollywood Reporter noted that the star of the reboot could be a “relative unknown,” just like Brandon Routh when he played The Last Son of Krypton in Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns as well as Henry Cavill when he took on the role for the first time in Zack Snyder’s 2013 Man of Steel.

Details about the reboot’s Black Superman are being kept under wraps, but sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the writer of the movie, Ta-Nehisi Coates, is creating a Kal-El in the vein of the original Superman comics and will have the character hail from Krypton and come to Earth.

Like Matt Reeves’ upcoming film The Batman, the Black Superman movie is also not part of the Snyderverse. Sources also claimed that there have been talks about the reboot being a 20th century period piece.

In addition to the star of the Black Superman movie, Warner Bros. is also actively looking for a director that will helm the reboot. Insiders said that Warners and DC are committed to hiring a Black director to tackle what will be the first big-screen incarnation of Superman featuring a Black actor. While Abrams has notable directing credits under his belt, one source said that putting him at the helm of the reboot would be “tone-deaf.”

With no star and director currently attached to the Black Superman movie, it’s unclear when the production for the reboot will start. Coates, however, is expected to deliver the script for the reboot in mid-December.