After three years of silence: James Gunn has announced that a project about a black Superman from J.J. Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates is still in development

A film about the first ever black Superman was announced back in 2021. Since then, little has been heard about the project, but James Gunn recently stated that a film from Ta-Nehisi Coates and J.J. Abrams is still in the works.

Here's What We Know

Gunn responded to a post on Threads in which he was bluntly asked if the long-in-development project still exists. In a direct and short reply, the DC Studios co-CEO simply said:

"Yes"

The last update on the project was back in 2022, when it was revealed that the re-imagining of the DCU with the arrival of Gunn and Peter Safran would not affect the project and that Coates was "still working on the script."

Coates is an internationally acclaimed writer and scientist who has written the Black Panther and Captain America comic book series for Marvel, for which he has received special credit in the credits of the film adaptations of those comics.

At this point, very few details have been revealed as to what Abrams and Coates have planned for their version of Man of Steel. What we do know for sure is that the project will feature a black actor.

We also know that the film will exist in its own universe, similar to how Matt Reeves' The Batman exists outside of the DC universe.

Gunn has previously stated that there is enough room for both "Superman: Legacy" and Coates' film:

"Those two things are totally unrelated" Gunn said. "That’s an exciting movie. I know that Chantal Nong, who is the executive on that project, is extremely excited about it. So if it comes in and it’s great, which I haven’t read the script, and if the timing is right, that could absolutely happen. That's totally unrelated. It would be an Elseworlds tale like Joker".

As a reminder, the first film in the reimagined DC universe, "Superman: Legacy," will be released on 12 July 2025.

Source: Games Radar