‘Superman’ Reboot in the Works from J.J. Abrams, with Ta-Nehisi Coates Penning the Script

Are you ready for a Superman reboot? While Henry Cavill will be appearing as the alien superhero in Zack Snyder’s Justice League next month, it looks like J.J. Abrams is putting the gears in motion for a whole new take on one of the most iconic characters in pop culture history. 

Abrams is producing the new project, but the big news is that Ta-Nehisi Coates has officially been hired to write the script for the film. Coates is a massively acclaimed author of books like We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy and Between the World and Me: Notes on the First 150 Years in America. He also has plenty of experience in the world of comics, having written series runs of Black Panther and Captain America for Marvel. Disney’s Bob Iger even credited Coates’ run on Black Panther specifically for helping him decide to greenlight the now iconic 2018 film starring Chadwick Boseman. 

In a statement to Shadow and Act, Coates shared his enthusiasm for the project, saying, ““To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor. I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”

Abrams celebrated the involvement of Coates, saying, “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,” while Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich added, ““Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me opened a window and changed the way many of us see the world. We’re confident that his take on Superman will give fans a new and exciting way to see the Man of Steel.”

While story details haven’t been confirmed yet, anonymous sources have said that the new film is being set up as a Black Superman story, something that Warner Bros. has been trying to get off the ground for at least a few years now. Michael B. Jordan was trying to get a Black Superman project going back in 2019, but that project stalled before much progress was made. 

There’s no word yet on who may direct or star in the new Superman film, but having Coates on board is a very big grab for WB, and could certainly encourage more talent to step into the mix soon.