Actor Michael B. Jordan, who stars in the upcoming adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, recently addressed the possibility of playing a black Superman.
Jordan is no stranger to the question. Back in February 2019, he addressed a rumor that surfaced from Deadline that he might be playing Superman in an upcoming film.
Jordan appeared on Oprah where he stated, “Yeah, that was a rumor, I heard that. I heard that. I heard that. I heard a few rumors buzzing around. I think just to be in those conversations, it’s flattering. It’s very humbling.”
Then after Oprah asked him if he wanted to play Superman, Jordan responded, “It’s tough. You know why because I hate being a businessman also and understanding both sides of the situation. I think there’s a huge upside to it, but there’s being under that microscope and being picked apart and compared to so many different versions of Superman. I would rather do something original.”
Jordan would then reveal he wouldn’t play Clark Kent, but Calvin Ellis.
He explained, “I would be Calvin Ellis. There’s another version of Superman from Earth-23. I’m a comic book guy…There’s another version of Superman in another dimension that is black already in the comic books that exist. I think the comic book purists can accept that more than Clark Kent from Kansas. That’s a different thing.”
Later in December 2019, Jordan addressed the rumors again saying, “Anything I do dive in to has gotta be done the right way. It has to be full of authenticity.”
“I’m a fan of comic books, you know? I understand the fans being upset at… ‘Oh no, why are they doing this and why are they changing that?’ I would feel the same way about certain things,” he continued.
“So, just know, if I ever were to dibble and dabble in anything, it would be authentic and something that I feel like people would really support,” he concluded.
.@MichaelB4Jordan plays a real-life hero in #JustMercy, but will he ever play a DC hero? @joshuahorowitz caught up with him to find out! pic.twitter.com/gA7xcHKYKz
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) December 23, 2019
Now, Jordan is addressing the possibility to play Superman again. This time he spoke with CinePOP and was asked if it was still a possibility to play a black Superman.
Jordan responded, “I don’t know. I think there is… I don’t really know what is really going on with that in particular.”
He continued, “But I think everybody’s want and desire to see black leads in heroic roles I think is really, really important. Representation is important. So there is so many opportunities with different IP, different properties, different characters that never got the light of day.”
He concluded, “There’s certain ones that… There’s certain ones that should just be where they are. So let’s just see how things shake out.”
The latest official news regarding a Superman film is that it will be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams via his Bad Robot company.
Coates made the announcement stating, “To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor.”
He added, “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
Abrams also stated, “There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity.”
Warner Bros. Pictures Chairman Toby Emmerich also said, “Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me opened a window and changed the way many of us see the world.”
He added, “We’re confident that his take on Superman will give fans a new and exciting way to see the Man of Steel.”
A director for the film has not been announced nor have any casting decisions.
What do you make of Jordan’s comments regarding playing a black Superman?