T'challa of Wakanda doesn't really have anything to do with African Americans either. John Stewart though? That's a good choice. To be honest part of why John is compelling is because he's NOT an alien pretending to be Human. Or someone from a weird fictional country with an equally alien culture.
Even if the film gets made I’m expecting a massive flop or disappointment. Coates isn’t a guy whose stuff has connected with the fans. I can envision a Watchmen show or The Last Jedi scenario where the critics love it but the audience doesn’t. Especially since this is coming from a WB mandate which never, ever ends well. But really because WB has no clue why BP succeeded and they just want that money.
For when my rants on the forums just aren’t enough: https://thevindicativevordan.tumblr.com/
I do think it smells like Hollywood big-wigs trying to pull a fast one, but conceptually I think it can work. Yes, Supergirl is technically not Latina and a Black Superman would never technically be Black, but the same is true of current Superman. He is technically not Caucasian and wasn't born in any culture we associate with Caucasians because of his Kryptonian roots.
As for lived experience, any Superman who grew up on Earth would be treated as whatever race he looks like. A black Clark Kent who grew up in Kansas would've still been at risk of racial profiling and other examples of racism for his entire life.
Martian Manhunter is a better example of what you're referring to because he can shapeshift and his character is all about not understanding humans, but a black Clark Kent with the same Superman origin? Arguably he would be even more relatable than someone like King T'Challa is, since Superman is an everyman.
Basically my opinion as well. Of all the DCEU films I've only truly enjoyed MoS and WW, and they still have some pretty deep flaws that detract greatly from them. I liked Aquaman and Shazam well enough but they feel pretty by-the-numbers, even if they're well executed. All the rest (that I've seen, haven't gotten to WW84 yet) have left me regretting the time and money I wasted on them.
So yeah, I'm not expecting much. WB doesn't understand Superman's appeal, nor do they seem to understand why T'Challa succeeded. Seems like the film, if it even makes it to the screen, is doomed from the start. But you never know; WB saw the same kind of upheaval last summer that DC did right? With new people in charge and new operations and divisions established, we likely shouldn't put too much stock in what the old guard did, and should give the new regime a honest chance.
"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.
For when my rants on the forums just aren’t enough: https://thevindicativevordan.tumblr.com/
I don’t! I think there is never enough Superman content!
Flop? No. I don't think they've undermined Superman enough to make the movie outright flop, but I think it can under-perform. Will it? No idea, but at worst I think it'll just not hit the mark they wanted, such as what happened to BvS. By all accounts, the movie made money, but it didn't make the money everyone knew the world's first Batman/Superman crossover in live action should have. There wasn't an analyst in the business who said it should make less than a billion, but the product released in theaters was such a mess that it blew up. People like to dunk on it (and I'm one of them) for perhaps being a creative flop, but those IP are too big to do it outright currently.
That said, they have flopped before (The Quest for Peace, Batman and Robin) so it's not impossible.