The DC universe is about to enter an exciting new era of franchise cohesiveness and harmony, what with James Gunn‘s DCU coming to tie together movies, TV shows, and even games. And yet this is DC we’re talking about, so there’s always bound to be some controversial loose ends somewhere.
While the vast majority of upcoming releases will be set in the DCU, Gunn has announced that a few select standalone projects, labelled “Elseworlds” movies, will coexist alongside them. The most notable are The Batman – Part II and Joker Folie à Deux. Now it’s been confirmed there’s another on the way, one we all assumed was as dead as the planet Krypton. Watch out, David Corenswet, looks like you might not be the only new Superman in town.
J.J. Abrams’ Superman could still soar into cinemas — but should he?
Gunn surprised the DC fandom when he casually revealed on social media that J.J. Abrams’ Superman movie is still in the works. “Is that Abrams Superman Elseworld project still in development?” the DC Studios co-CEO was asked by a fan on Threads. “Yes,” came his brief but mind-blowing response.
For a reminder, March 2021 brought the news that Abrams was set to produce what was quickly called a “Black Superman” movie for Warner Bros., as based on a script by acclaimed journalist and comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. The one thing we knew about the project was that it would cast an actor of color as Clark Kent. The announcement resulted in a considerable backlash, and not just from the usual quarters either, for all kinds of reasons.
One of those was a concern that it was only going to create brand confusion. So, naturally, the news that the Abrams and Coates film is still plowing ahead just as we’re waiting for Gunn’s own Superman: Legacy to arrive is only reheating these old criticisms. As one commenter on the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit put it, “This is a bad idea.” Another concurred: “Indeed. Was hoping DC was done with bad ideas but I guess not.”
“I hope it doesn’t go anywhere,” one fan pleaded to the universe. “We don’t need Elseworlds stories when the main universe hasn’t even started.” Some would be a lot more excited about DC making movies about authentically Black characters rather than race-swapping a white character, as has long been a big concern about this project. “How is this being made but not Black Lightning or Static Shock?” demanded another fan.
Others aren’t so concerned, though, given how many DC projects are announced but still fail to get made. Or get released even if they do get made, in the case of Batgirl. “This movie is never seeing the light of day, let’s be honest,” said one Redditor. Sure enough, it’s worth pointing out that Abrams had various DC projects in development, including a Justice League Dark TV series, all of which appear to have come to nothing. Much like his Star Trek 4 over at Paramount, it does seem there’s a strong chance the filmmaker’s Superman will remain stuck in the Phantom Zone of unmade superhero movies. Much like Abrams’ own Superman: Flyby.
No one’s denying that, if handled correctly, Abrams and Coates’ film could be one of the best Superman movies we’ve ever had, but there are many ways it could backfire too. Maybe Gunn should give Michael B. Jordan a call and get him to dust off his Val-Zod film instead?
