Look, I’m not saying I yelled “LET’S FUCKING GO, BAYBEEE!” when news broke that Ta-Nehisi Coates has been tapped to write the next Superman movie.
But I’m also not saying that I didn’t.
Shadow and Act reports that Coates is set to write the script for an upcoming Superman film set in the DC Extended Universe and produced by J.J. Abrams. “To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” said Coates in a statement to Shadow and Act. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity,” J.J. Abrams said in the statement.
Y’all, I cannot tell you how excited I am for this project. I have so many questions! And I’m sure you do too. And now I’m realizing that as the resident nerd of The Root, you expect me to answer those questions.
Look, I know nothing about nothing when it comes to DC’s film plans, so take all of this with grains upon grains of salt. But, considering that DC has been leaning more and more into the multiverse that is at the heart its comics lore, we could very likely see a Black Superman don the cape for the first time in live-action.
See, Calvin Ellis, a Black man, is the Superman of Earth-23. We already know the character is going to be more in the mix in the comics as the key art for DC’s upcoming Infinite Frontier relaunch shows him hanging out with other Supermen. Considering that a pretty solid traditional take on the character just debuted on tv this week with Superman and Lois, and the upcoming Flash movie is based off the “Flashpoint” arc which saw the titular character mess around in the multiverse and create a whole new reality, I’m just saying that a Black Superman could potentially be on the table.
Even if it’s not though, it’s still incredibly exciting that a writer of Coates’ caliber and intelligence is tackling the Man of Tomorrow. He’s the author of the incredibly moving Between the World and Me, and he’s no stranger to comics either, coming off excellent runs on Black Panther and Captain America for Marvel Comics.
I don’t know what the future holds for Krypton’s last son, but with Coates behind the pen, we may finally get the first great Superman movie in almost 40 years. I, for one, cannot wait.