Michael B. Jordan addresses the rumors that he'll be playing Superman in the upcoming DC movie reboot. Henry Cavill originated the current iteration of Kal-El in the DCEU when he debuted in 2013's Man of Steel. Cavill has reprised the role in a few films, including Batman v Superman and Justice League. Questions about his future in the role lingered as Warner Bros. failed to announce a follow-up solo feature for Cavill. With the studio looking to the future and their upcoming slate, it seems as if Cavill's time as Kal-El is coming to an end.
It was reported in February that J.J. Abrams is rebooting Superman for Warner Bros. with prolific writer Ta-Nehisi Coates penning the script. The report indicated that casting had not yet been done for the film, hinting that a new actor could be coming onboard to don the cape. Speculation began immediately about which major star could be taking on the role and Jordan's name has been at the top of the list of contenders for quite some time. Now, Jordan has responded to these rumors that he could be taking on the role.
Speaking to Jake's Takes, Jordan played coy when asked if he could be playing Superman. The actor says he is flattered that his name would even be in consideration for the role, but he doesn't know anything beyond the rumors themselves.
You hear the whispers and the rumors and stuff like that and it’s just a compliment. You know, I appreciate people that think about me in that type of way for these roles. I don’t really have anything more to give on that other than it’s just flattering and I appreciate it. But, you know, whoever they get or if it goes that way, I think it’ll be an interesting thing to see.
Similarly, when talking to Cinepop, Jordan reiterated he is not aware of what is happening with the reboot, but he is excited to see a black Superman on the big screen.
I don’t know. I don’t really know what is going with that in particular, but I think everybody’s want and desire to see Black leads in heroic roles I think is really, really important. Representation is important.
Jordan could merely be playing coy - a role like Superman requires actors to keep their cards close to the chest, lest they spoil a major surprise like this. With Jordan already having one superhero tentpole under his belt after playing Erik Killmonger in Black Panther, it's unclear if the actor would want to attach himself to another major franchise. Still, Superman could be a major role for the actor and seeing as the DCEU is moving on from director Zack Snyder's vision for the franchise, it would make sense to cast a well-known actor in the role now that Cavill could be out as Superman.
Wherever the future of Superman is heading, though, it's clearly in good hands. Coates has worked on Black Panther comics and Abrams is well-versed in franchise filmmaking. With a star like Jordan at the forefront of the reboot, the new Superman could take the franchise in exciting directions. While some fans may be sad to see Cavill go, it's clear the DCEU is ready to move on from Snyder's vision and begin looking at ways in which they can reboot certain aspects of the franchise, beginning with the Last Son of Krypton.
Source: Jake's Takes, Cinepop
