A Superman reboot is in the works for the DCEU and it will be a new Man of Steel wearing the cape as opposed to Clark Kent. 2021 is turning out to be a big year for DC Comics' Man of Tomorrow as the character is getting more attention in media than ever: The Arrowverse premiered its new spinoff show, Superman & Lois, and Henry Cavill will soon be reprising the role of Superman in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which finally brings the director's original vision for the DC team. With reports that the J.J. Abrams reboot will feature a Black Superman, said media attention isn't likely to die down any time soon.
Superman's cinematic future has been uncertain since Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon's failed version of Justice League in 2017. Even though Superman won't be in the upcoming The Flash movie, his cousin Supergirl will: Andy Muschietti, who is helming the DC picture, revealed in a special video to actress Sasha Calle that she had landed the role as the Girl of Steel. The news led some to speculate that Supergirl would replace Superman in the DCEU. Instead, reports suggest a new iteration of the Last Son of Krypton is on the way to the big screen. After several years of rumors, J.J. Abrams is officially rebooting the icon through his overall deal with WarnerMedia.
Abrams is currently attached as a producer as Ta-Nehisi Coates has been tapped to write the screenplay for the Superman reboot. The film currently has no set release date nor a director as Abrams is as of this point only producing the project through his Bad Robot production company. All available evidence suggests that this will be a new version of the character, rather than another Clark Kent story. Given that the DC Universe has seen other characters carry the Superman title, the next cinematic interpretation of him will see a new character don the cape rather than Clark — and chances are it will be Calvin Ellis.
For a few years now, the idea of a different Superman has been floating around and it's becoming heavily important for this reboot. A few years ago, Michael B. Jordan had met with DC about playing the Man of Steel, which is where the idea of a black Superman in film gained a lot of momentum. However, it didn't move forward as DC and Warner Bros. focused on producing other films from the comic publisher. Fast-forwarding to February 2021, following the announcement that a Superman reboot was in the works were reports that Abrams' film would star a black version of the Man of Steel.
In an official statement from Abrams, the filmmaker expressed his excitement that "There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told," alluding to that this will definitely take the icon in a new direction. The same sentiment was shared by Coates who is excited about adding to the legacy of one of the most beloved fictional characters in the world. It will likely be a while until Warner Bros. reveals which black interpretation of Superman they're basing this reboot on. The project is still in the early stages of development with no projected released date yet since Abrams and company are likely also searching for a director while completing the screenplay.
Since Warner Bros. did come out and announce it in early 2021, it's possible that there will be bigger reveals at future events. Since it's highly unlikely that something like San Diego Comic-Con will happen in the traditional sense due to the pandemic, DC FanDome may be used to unveil further plans. That's where Matt Reeves' The Batman got to take center stage as the director discussed the film more in-depth before unveiling the first teaser trailer. Something similar could happen at a big DC-themed event where DC either reveals a director or who will star as the next Superman.
For several decades, some of the most iconic superheroes have been reimagined and played by various actors. Superman is one of those characters; within the last 40 years, he has been played by actors such as Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, as well as Cavill and Hoechlin. The idea of seeing a Superman on the screen that isn't Clark is something incredibly refreshing and also relevant to where the character is today. Currently, there is the Arrowverse's Superman with Hoechlin on The CW while Cavill's iteration will soon be back on screen for the Snyder Cut. Until the day when Warner Bros. and Cavill himself make it abundantly clear that his Superman is done, it's fair to assume that he could reprise the role at any point.
Cavill could come back in a potential Man of Steel 2 or appear as a supporting character in other DCEU films. Even Routh's Superman, who keeps the Reeve-legacy alive on Earth-96, could pop up again in a future Arrowverse crossover or other DC projects including film. The notion that they have to reboot Clark's story again just feels restricting and repetitive. A black actor could absolutely play Kal-El as there's absolutely no reason why Clark couldn't be played by a man of color, but Clark's story has been depicted so many times now on screen, including animation, that a third active live-action Kal-El would only limit a reboot.
DC Comics has, in fact, introduced the concept of a black Superman through various stories, but not strictly as Clark Kent. Through the DC Multiverse, readers have gotten the chance to follow new takes on the Man of Steel where he's portrayed as a person of color. There is the recent character of Val-Zod, created by Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott, that debuted in Earth 2 #19 as Kal-El's foster brother who also came from Krypton to Earth. However, the incarnation that most likely will be used for the upcoming Superman reboot film is the Earth-23 Superman, Calvin Ellis.
For readers who aren't familiar with Earth-23's Superman, Calvin was created by Grant Morrison who debuted him in Final Crisis #7 back in 2009. On this Earth, Kalel (not with the regular Kal-El spelling) is the last survivor of Krypton and is sent to Earth where he is found by the Ellis family who names him Calvin. While he shares similarities to Clark's Superman with being a champion of justice, there is one major significant difference: Calvin never became a reporter as he ended up instead becoming the president of the United States of America, using his role to help the country politically.
In the creation of Calvin, Morrison based him on the 44th US president Barack Obama and iconic boxer Muhammad Ali. This is a Superman that would be as fresh as possible for a reboot. While Clark has done a lot both as Superman and as a Daily Planet reporter, having the Man of Steel as the US president is something that has never been before in Superman adaptations, whether it be on television or in film. The sets a rich arc for a trilogy to explore: it begins with Calvin's origin story in becoming Superman with a second installment culminating in him becoming president. Seeing a Superman who has to balance his human persona as a high-profile political figure with her superhero alter-ego would be a fascinating storyline.
Having a Superman that can help change the world through politics would take the mythology to a whole new level in live-action. Despite Calvin's compelling comic history, he hasn't been in a lot of runs at DC, which gives Coates and Abrams the chance to add new stories that haven't been seen in comics. Not only can they adapt what exists in his mythology, but they can add more as Calvin jumps from page to screen. It also helps the creative team to defy people's expectations as this would be a Superman who has never been adapted for media before.
One of the big elements that will be part of the DCEU is the DC Multiverse concept. The Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths event introduced the concept to mainstream audiences, but it also did something massive for Warner Bros.'s past, present, and future DC properties for TV and film. While there is the main Arrowverse universe, Earth-Prime, they also established that their live-action products exist within the same Multiverse on different Earths. Something like Earth-23 would be amazing to see in live-action as it features a Justice League that consists mostly of black versions of the members, including Nubia as Wonder Woman. A new Superman, like Calvin, would be a lot better for the DC Multiverse that Warner Bros. is now investing into.
Ever since Grant Gustin and Ezra Miller's iconic meeting in Crisis as their respective versions of The Flash, audiences have waited for further crossover opportunities to bridge the DCEU and Arrowverse. Warner Bros. could have a Superman franchise with a black star while also still continuing Hoechlin's iteration on Superman & Lois. Cavill's Man of Steel series could also keep going as part of the ongoing DCEU universe. This could be happening where perhaps one day, Cavill's Clark and whoever is cast as Calvin shares the screen together in a Multiverse story. This is the beauty and advantage of the Multiverse where these iconic heroes can be seen in various interpretations as well as having other characters carrying those respective mantles.
With the introduction of Calvin, it could also bring in another version of the Justice League and explore new takes on those characters too. Warner Bros. has made it clear that they want to dive into the Multiverse more and more. This is another approach that works into their strategy by adding another franchise that can take unexplored concepts from the DC Universe to screen. With The Flash movie exploring the Multiverse, The Batman taking place on its own Earth, a Superman reboot with Calvin would be another intriguing way to continue building out the DCEU. Only time will tell what the next Superman franchise will look like, but it's an exciting time to live in as someone other than Clark Kent will make the world believe a man can fly.
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