I’ll skip to the end and say that numerous articles have already come out by reputable trades like The Hollywood Reporter that say this project will have a black Superman, and that this is what WB has been wanting for a while.
But background on Coates
-Wrote a bunch of articles for The Atlantic about the black experience in America including his most famous “The Case for Reparations”
-Wrote a bunch of books about being black in America with a focus on the Obama Years and their impact
-Wrote Black Panther
Only work he’s done that hasn’t featured black people as the main protagonists is Captain America. Why would you get Coates for a traditional take? And announce this during Feb aka Black History Month? Add in Abrams push for diversity (he’s reportedly also going to racebend John Constantine), and it’s pretty obvious where this is going. This will be a movie with a black Superman as the star, mainly because WB wants that Black Panther money, but they don’t want to take a chance on their more obscure black characters.
Look this could all fall apart, they still don’t even have a script yet, and we’ve seen how long it’s taking King and Ava to get going on New Gods. But the intent right now is to probably do an Elseworld Superman take. S&L will meanwhile fill the traditional take gap that Cavill’s departure is leaving.
For when my rants on the forums just aren’t enough: https://thevindicativevordan.tumblr.com/
I also believe they want to refresh the ip as household name in Hollywood.Getting black protagonist would get the Hollywood elites and critics on their side with superman(even if I don't feel these guys are for real,for one second). It is also to shake of preconceived notions regarding the character.i mean,if you don't see any parts of traditional superman.You won't be expecting it going to the theatre.They are willing to take the risk.
Last edited by manwhohaseverything; 02-26-2021 at 10:18 PM.
"People’s Dreams... Have No Ends"
Okay who has been using the monkey's paw?
"The Marvel EIC Chair has a certain curse that goes along with it: it tends to drive people insane, and ultimately, out of the business altogether. It is the notorious last stop for many staffers, as once you've sat in The Big Chair, your pariah status is usually locked in." Christopher Priest
Can someone give Steel another shot in live action?
All these Superman mythos shows and movies with race bending casting yet an actual black superhero associated with the Superman mythos can't get another shot since his Shaq nineties movie flopped.
If WB thinks that a black Superman will guarantee Black Panther money then they clearly don't understand why Black Panther was successful.
I am not talking about the business guys.They are pretty honest.So,i have less problem with that.Profit motive,business and all that jazz.I was talking about the ecosystem.I acknowledge it's sweeping generalisation of an entire industry.But,it's just an opinion from my view.It doesn't mean anything.Anyways,At the very least some good will come of from it.So,whatever.
"People’s Dreams... Have No Ends"
Me. I wanted a reboot and I’m getting it, just not the way I wanted it.
Really bums me out that Steel is seemingly going to be shoved to the side and forgotten. Dude was one of my favorite characters as a kid, he was my favorite of the four Supermen in Reign, he was in Morrison JLA, he had an ongoing written by Louise Simonson and Christopher Priest! Now he’s basically been forgotten. PKJ hinted that there might be some plans for him down the line, I hope that’s true. Put him on a team or something, anything, and marry him and Lana already.
For when my rants on the forums just aren’t enough: https://thevindicativevordan.tumblr.com/
I would love to see a Steel movie done right. I do think especially with lesser known characters they need to be introduced in another movie first. Don't just do a Steel movie. He's not well known to the general public, at best it'll be seen as a remake of the Shaq flop
Introduce him in a Superman movie - an actual faithful trilogy of movies of the Death and Return of Superman movies would've been best but they've already bungled that. Let the audience meet him in a Superman movie first, then launch him into his own movie. Take the time to build up the cinematic universe instead of rushing it out.
The problem with changing the ethnicity of established iconic or or near iconic characters is that there will always be a pull to put the old characters back in the costume. Those old characters are to lucrative to stay away for too long. So at best the new character is going to be relegated to a side character. It’s the catch 22 of diversity. Your’e either your own thing, struggling in a medium that hates new things, or an adjunct to an existing franchise whose always looking over your should waiting for the older more popular franchise head to return and relegate you to a side character.
In terms of the so-called Latina Supergirl, I question how she can be Latina if she grew up on Krypton. It doesn't come across as authentic representation and seems like appropriating a culture for the sake of getting likes. Surely, for Supergirl to be Latina, she would have to have a Latin American experience--being raised in a Latin American country or being raised in the U.S.A. by a family with those roots.
So likewise for an African-American Superman. Just having the right skin colour is not enough--he would have to have the experiences of a Black man in America, for the story to have any real weight and not just appropriate the culture to win points.
That's why characters authentic to the lived experience are better for representing a culture. Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter can never really embody representation--because they are posing as something they're not. Better representation comes from a Black Panther or a Vixen.
It's good that they have an open casting policy--shouldn't matter if you're British or Hawaiian or Canadian or Columbian or Kenyan--to play the part of Superman or Supergirl. It's pretend. But audiences always know when they're being sold a bill of goods. And this smells like Hollywood big-wigs trying to pull a fast one.
Probably not, and making a black Superman is something we've been hearing rumors of from WB for years. If I were a gambling man I'd put safe money on this being a black Superman.
But we're still making assumptions. It's a pretty safe bet, but that's not the same thing as it being official.
And that's assuming this even gets off the ground. WB/DC announce movies they're working on all the time, only for those films to fall apart and never happen.
Personally I find I don't really care either way. WB rarely makes DC films that I actually enjoy and they utterly fail to understand Superman (MoS was close, but Snyder and co. dropped the ball immediately) so it's not like I'd be getting excited about a new Superman film regardless of who is acting in it.
I admit, if this were rumors of an Icon film I'd have higher hopes; he's a small enough IP that WB might stay out of the production process and allow the crew to make a good film (which is the reason why Wonder Woman 1 was worth watching). But Superman? WB will micromanage that film into the grave.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
They should get Regina King to direct it!