After years of speculation, it was officially announced that J.J. Abrams is finally tackling the Superman reboot he’s been linked with on a regular basis ever since Bad Robot first signed a huge deal with WarnerMedia back in 2019. Indeed, the filmmaker has been keen to get his hands on the Man of Steel for a long time, having written a script for a potential movie almost two decades ago.
Abrams won’t be handling writing duties this time around, though, which is fantastic news for anyone that’s gone to the trouble of seeking out and reading his Flyby screenplay, which is widely available online and not very good. Ta-Nehisi Coates will be the man to tackle the project, and almost as soon as the news broke, the rumor mill went into overdrive, exactly as you’d expect.
Henry Cavill might be done and Michael B. Jordan has already been installed as the frontrunner, but after DC Films President Walter Hamada confirmed plans to move forward on two Batman franchises that exist independently of each other, there’s no reason why Abrams’ reboot can’t tell standalone stories while Cavill remains the DCEU’s canonical Kryptonian.
Either way, the news that the polarizing Star Trek and Star Wars director is rebooting the Big Blue Boy Scout generated plenty of discussion online, and you can check out some of the reactions below.
https://twitter.com/_ripleyaeryn/status/1365593152552370176
https://twitter.com/Im_Mad_as_Hell_/status/1365587638057631746
Has Hollywood forgotten that JJ Abrams almost completely fucked up Superman 20 years ago?
— Em Gee (@Laufey_son) February 27, 2021
J.J. Abrams AND Superman being Black in the reboot got especially White America right now like… pic.twitter.com/CNsB4sh7zr
— Antonio C. R. Murray = OkashiraStyle (@Haipa_Sonikku) February 27, 2021
Thanks. Please watch out with the blatant internal sabotage attempts of #SnyderCut with these alleged and inaccurate “reboot” reports of the new Abrams produced Superman film featuring Calvin Ellis as #DCMultiverse Superman. Different character than Clark Kent/Kal El
— Ciscooo007 (@Ciscooo007) February 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/SithThanos/status/1365574820985933824
I already fully support the JJ Abrams reboot of Superman and I know nothing about it.
— 🎉 (@RancorWins) February 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/maximrutter/status/1365566229805600768
Abrams: Listen, this is a reboot, right? We can play around with things, yeah?
Coates: I don't know what you're getting at.Superman: You see, son, I named you after the man who took me in and raised me, Jonathan Ben Kent.
Ben Kent: 'kay. I hate you.
Superman nods.— Duke Dooms Comics || BLM (@ProfofEvil) February 27, 2021
J.J. Abrams prepares to ruin yet another beloved, storied franchise.
Which extra super powers will he give Superman? Lex Luthor? Maybe he can Force Skype with Lois Lane.
Someone save us movie lovers from Abrams. Give Michael Bay a shot at it. At least he respects canon.
— Greg Howell (@g_howell) February 27, 2021
Yeah, sure. Enjoy your new Superman reboot if that's what you want. And I have a news for you. Your Superman reboot will now be Michael B. Jordan as Black Superman and Henry Cavill is not even attached to that project that will be directed by J. J. Abrams. So good luck with that.
— Farooq Saeed (@FarooqSaeed1990) February 27, 2021
The worst case scenario for Bad Robot’s Superman is Abrams stepping behind the camera and directing it himself. While he’s got a decent handle on the fundamentals, he’s also responsible for two Star Trek and two Star Wars blockbusters that managed to upset at least once section of the fanbase, the solid if hardly spectacular Mission: Impossible III and Super 8, which was a decent film but also a big love letter to Steven Spielberg and Amblin. Warner Bros. have never shown interest in a Man of Steel sequel, either, so something special is going to be required to get the doubters on board with a full-fledged and potentially Cavill-less reboot.
