Superman Reboot in Development at WB With Ta-Nehisi Coates Writing & J.J. Abrams Producing
Shadow and Act is reporting that a Superman reboot is in the works at Warner Bros. and DC with author Ta-Nehisi Coates writing the script and Emmy winner J.J. Abrams (Lost, Westworld, Star Wars franchise) producing the project via his Bad Robot production company.
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No details about the plot or talent have been released. Hannah Minghella will serve as producer on the currently untitled feature.
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates told the outlet. “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,” Abrams added.
Coates is also at work on Ryan Coogler’s drama Wrong Answer, starring Michael B. Jordan and based on Rachel Aviv‘s 2014 story in The New Yorker about 11 Atlanta public school educators who were convicted of racketeering in an attempt to falsely improve standardized test scores.
As the national correspondent for The Atlantic, Coates covered cultural, social, and political issues, specifically that of African Americans and white supremacy. He has written for The Village Voice, TIME, and has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, and more. His non-fiction books include The Beautiful Struggle, Between the World and Me, and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy. Between the World and Me won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Coates has also written a Black Panther and a Captain America series for Marvel Comics. Coates received a special thanks credit on Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther.
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Bad Robot signed an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. in 2019 and is also developing the Justice League Dark Universe for film and television. The comic book Justice League Dark team made their debut during DC’s “New 52” publishing initiative in 2011. A paranormal-leaning super-team, the group featured the likes of John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Frankenstein, Deadman, Madame Xanadu, and The Phantom Stranger among its ranks. Prior to Liman’s involvement and departure, Guillermo del Toro had been attached to direct the Justice League Dark movie, which was set to be titled Dark Universe. Since then though, Universal Pictures used that moniker for their attempt at rebooting their classic monsters, so the film (should it ever be made) will likely carry the Justice League Dark title. It was recently announced that HBO Max is developing a new Constantine series and that the potential show would be connected to Bad Robot’s Justice League Dark universe.
(Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage via Getty Images & George Pimentel/Getty Images)