Michael B. Jordan’s Black Superman DC project – a limited series for HBO Max – has found writers and a title. While Jordan’s production company Outlier Society is behind the project, the Black Panther star is not currently confirmed for the lead role.
The title for the series is going to be Val-Zod and the writers are Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters, who have written the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, starring Anthony Ramos. Metayer and Peters have many film and TV credits to their name, including The Nola, an upcoming Sam Raimi movie for Amazon.
Val-Zod is the story of another Kryptonian refugee, who finds shelter on Earth-2, part of the DC multiverse. In the comics, he is pitted against a brainwashed Superman at one stage.
Several DC projects are in the works at HBO Max, including a Black Canary spin-off of Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn from Misha Green, starring Jurnee Smollett and a Batgirl movie, which has just added Brendan Fraser as a villain.
Michael B. Jordan is a busy man, with his production company having an overall deal with Amazon Studios. Outlier Society is producing another DC comics adaptation – Static Shock. The company is also behind a new version of Thomas Crown Affair for MGM. As well as all of these producing duties, Jordan is also currently in pre-production on Creed III, which he is directing, as well as starring in.
Val-Zod is not the only Black Superman project in development, with JJ Abrams said to be producing a movie for Warner Bros. Abram’s company Bad Robot are reportedly seeking a Black director and star for the film, which is being written by Ta-Nehishi Coates.
It’s an exciting time to anticipate the range of diverse new projects coming out of the DC Extended Universe.