The biggest news in the superhero world today is the announcement that Warner Bros. is working on a Superman reboot, as produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Marvel Comics scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates. After the initial story broke, further intel has come out that Henry Cavill won’t return for the production and that the studio intends for the reboot to star a person of color as the Last Son of Krypton. And it seems they have a specific actor in mind.
Giant Freakin Robot has shared that Michael B. Jordan is WB’s top choice to take the lead in Abrams’ reimagining of the Man of Steel. According to the outlet’s sources, the studio is currently pursuing the Black Panther star for the role, though it’s believed that they haven’t managed to lock him in for it yet. GFR writes that, if they aren’t able to nab Jordan, they wouldn’t go back to Cavill as they’re committed to telling a black Superman story.
This info isn’t particularly surprising, either, as Jordan was heavily linked to an earlier version of the reboot a couple of years ago. In fact, we know that he had talks with WB to play the role but things broke down at the time, due to a mix of creative differences and the actor’s busy schedule. With talent like Abrams and Coates now aboard, though, it’s possible that he could be coaxed around. Especially as he’s always seemed open about the opportunity in interviews.
Back in 2019, for instance, Jordan made his comic book credentials clear by saying he’d prefer to play Calvin Ellis, Earth-23’s Superman, rather than Clark Kent, as he would want to offer something “original” to the fans. It’s worth mentioning that none of these reports claim that the Superman reboot will focus on Clark, either, so it’s 100% plausible that it will be based around Ellis instead. After all, it sounds like that would definitely be the way to get Jordan to sign up for the job.
