Watchmen star Regina King had no idea that she is supposedly on a shortlist to direct J.J. Abrams' upcoming Superman movie. Henry Cavill may currently be the DCEU's Man of Steel, but in late February, it was revealed that Abrams is producing a Superman reboot for Warner Bros. That same day, it was reported that the movie will introduce a Black Man of Steel. Michael B. Jordan had previously been rumored to be joining a DC project as Superman; however, it's currently unknown who will play the iconic role.
Superman still hasn't cast its lead, and it also doesn't have a director. At the beginning of the month, Abrams stated that he would not direct, and Warner Bros. is said to be looking for a Black director to helm the film. It's been reported that the studio is eyeing Steven Caple Jr., J.D. Dillard, Regina King, and Shaka King as possible directors but that they have also met with other directors as well. Warner Bros. has yet to officially comment on their search, but one director on the shortlist has now spoken out.
During a recent interview on MSNBC, the actress and director was asked about her potential involvement in the new Superman movie. King had no idea that she was on the shortlist and seemed rather surprised that Warner Bros. was supposedly considering her. Her full quote from the interview can be read below.
Tiffany, that is news to me. You have broke the news to me! A news break, live on MSNBC. Yeah, no I have not heard that until just now.
The news of Warner Bros. rebooting Superman has received a lot of controversy in the past few months. Many have been wanting Man of Steel 2 since Cavill first appeared on the big screen, yet little traction has ever been made on the sequel. Director Zack Snyder reinvigorated interest in the original DCEU characters with the Justice League Snyder Cut. The director's cut of Justice League was well-received, and despite fans campaigning for Warner Bros. to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse, it looks unlikely that Cavill will put on the cape anytime soon. That being said, Snyder himself supports a Black Superman movie saying it is long overdue.
Even though the decision to reboot Superman is controversial when Cavill's version is still fresh in fans' minds, the movie could succeed, especially if King was involved. King has been known as an actress for most of her career, but her recent film One Night in Miami... put her on the map as a director as her film was nominated for three Academy Awards. King didn't reveal in her interview if she would be interested in directing the movie, but the chance to direct Superman would be one of her biggest opportunities to date. Warner Bros.' Superman reboot is still in very early development, so it might be quite some time before the studio announces who will direct the movie.
Source: MSNBC
