Could the Future of Superman Movies Involve Michael B. Jordan?

With Justice League.

It would appear that the studio has no real plans for a solo Superman movie at the moment, and despite the occasional rumbling of a Man of Steel 2, there has never been anything concrete, and now writer or director has ever been attached. Back in 2018 Deadline wrote “that Warner Bros. has been mulling a completely different direction with its Superman canon for some time, even considering casting Michael B. Jordan in the role down the road.”

That was apparently more than just a studio executive’s idle musing. Superman and Lois TV show in the 2020-2021 season doesn’t bode well for the Man of Steel’s big screen prospects right now, either.

It’s no surprise that the studio doesn’t really know what to do with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and is now off the table for the big screen until further notice.

On the other hand, the DCEU films aren’t likely to make a full and active reboot their core continuity any time soon. Despite the departure of Cavill and DCEU Batman Ben Affleck (who has been replaced by Robert Pattinson for Matt Reeves’ Aquaman 2 in 2022. While Henry Cavill will need to be replaced at some point, it’s unlikely to be by Jordan in the DCEU proper.

But Michael B. Jordan could certainly fill the role of Superman in other projects. Warner Bros. is already experimenting with DC movies that fall outside the usual established DCEU continuity. The first of these, over a billion dollars at the box office, proving to the studio that R-rated movies involving DC characters that aren’t built in shared cinematic universe continuity aren’t just viable, they’re desireable…and bankable.

read more: Ranking the Superman Movies

While it’s certainly possible that Warner Bros. might consider a black retelling of the Superman legend (and it’s difficult to imagine a better candidate for the lead than the versatile, endlessly charismatic Jordan), there are other routes the studio could take. A personal favorite of mine is Calvin Ellis, the Superman of Earth 23. Ellis, created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke, has a story that mirrors much of the familiar Superman legend, until he becomes President of the United States, and has to balance that with his role as Earth’s greatest hero. There’s a lot of fun that could be had with Jordan as both President and Superman, and it would certainly ease any studio exec fears that the usual trappings of a Superman movie are too well worn for modern audiences.

In any case, it might not be worth reading too deeply into any of this. While Michael B. Jordan would make a fine addition to the pantheon of actors who have played Superman, I wouldn’t start fitting him for a cape just yet. But as Warner Bros. seems willing to explore the DC multiverse as much as the traditional shared cinematic universe model, you might not want to rule him out, either.

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.