For all the success DC have had with its slate of superhero films, the one hero they’ve yet to successfully crack has been Superman. Henry Cavill may be visually perfect for the part but his films haven’t exactly set the world alight. Now word on the street is that another even more charismatic chap is being eyed for the role: Michael B. Jordan.
According to a big breakdown on the future of DC’s movie slate from Variety, the suits at Warner Bros. have been trying to figure out a way to make Superman palatable to fickle audiences these days and they’ve chatted to both J.J. Abrams (who signed a big deal with the studio) and Michael B. Jordan to help make it a reality.
The most interesting tidbit however is Jordan reportedly pitched the suits his “vision” for Superman. But despite interest from both parties, don’t expect Michael B. Jordan to be the new Man of Steel any time soon.
Variety reports that Jordan’s schedule is filled up with projects and filming on a Superman flick won’t happen for a few years so expect nothing sooner than a 2023 release at the earliest should he join the DC universe. It may a while away but this is only a good thing as it’ll allow the filmmakers to get the material into working shape before beginning production. We don’t want another Batman V Superman and Justice League situation here.
It’s all just talk at the moment but let’s say the gears are turning and Michael B. Jordan is indeed in the frame for Superman, then he’s definitely the perfect replacement for Henry Cavill.
He’s a great actor, buff as all hell, has charisma spilling out of his pockets, and would look fantastic wearing a red cape with a big “S” on it. Plus it would be fantastic to see someone other than a white bloke play Superman for a change.
Even more importantly is Jordan’s self-confessed love for comic books and knowledge of the character, While no one exactly knows what he pitched to Warner Bros. regarding his vision for Superman, we can hazard a guess based on some previous comments that his idea is to play the character of Calvin Ellis (who is basically a Superman from another alternative universe) rather than Clark Kent.
So where does this leave Henry Cavill if Michael B. Jordan does eventually become Superman? Well there are two possibilities that we can see. The first is Jordan straight up replaces Cavill, who probably won’t be too happy about that given how he’s still keen to keep the role (despite admitting his Superman films were crap).
The second possibility is both Cavill and Jordan get to play Superman, which wouldn’t be too farfetched if Warner Bros. buys into the whole multi-verse idea and having multiple versions of the character.
For now though, there are no Superman projects in the works as far as we know so we’re just going to have to make do with fantasies and fanart of Michael B. Jordan wearing the red cape for the time being.