Ever since the news dropped that J.J. Abrams was working on a Superman reboot back in February, DC fans have been desperate to get more info on the project. We’ve come to understand that it will feature a black version of the Man of Steel, with comic book scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates penning the script, but beyond that, story details have been thin on the ground. A new exposé on the movie from The Hollywood Reporter reveals one important fact, though: the hero’s traditional origins story will remain intact.
THR writes that Coates is “crafting a Kal-El in the vein of the original Superman comics,” with the trade confirming that “the protagonist” will “hail from Krypton and come to Earth.” What’s more, though this element is apparently in flux, the film could be a period piece and be set in the 20th century. That’s all the plot info that THR had to share, but we can maybe infer some extra details from what they tell us.
From the way the outlet says Coates is “crafting” his own “protagonist,” that seems to corroborate previous claims that the reboot will feature an original creation for the screen and not any of the alt-universe Supermen from the comics. Instead, it seems like Coates is returning to the core tenets of the Kryptonian’s story – including his status as a stranger from another world – to cook up something fresh and different.
But that’s obviously easier said than done. It’s a bold move to reinvent a character who’s been going for 80+ years strong, and the one who started the whole superhero genre off in the first place. At least Warner Bros. is taking their time here and not rushing the pic into production right away. THR notes that Coates isn’t due to hand in his completed screenplay until mid-December and while they’ve already got a short list of POC directors they’re considering – including Regina King and J.D. Dillard (Sweetheart) – they’ve yet to make a deal with anyone.
Superman is coming back to cinemas, make no mistake about it, but not like you’ve ever seen him before.
