Superman fans might be getting more than they bargained for, as James Gunn recently confirmed that Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Superman movie is still in development. A fan on Threads asked the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker if the “Abrams Superman Elseworld project” was still in development, and Gunn replied with a simple, “Yes.” Of course, this would be in addition to Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy which is set to be released in 2025 as part of his new DC Universe. It was first reported that renowned author and comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing a Superman film back in 2021.
J. J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) is also producing the project. In 2023, after James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the heads of the DCU, Gunn provided an update on the film. Speaking with i09 he said, “So if it comes in and it’s great, which I haven’t read the script, and if the timing is right, that could absolutely happen. That’s totally unrelated. It would be an Elseworlds tale like Joker.” Based on that, there’s room for two versions of the character, much like how there’s a Batman movie in development in addition to The Batman: Part II.
Other than that brief confirmation provided by Gunn, we don’t know much about the Superman movie that Coates is writing. There have been rumors that the story will focus on a Black Superman, but it is unclear if it will be based on versions of the character from the comics like Val-Zod. The other thing up in the air is the release date. But we’ll let you know more about that when we find out. Hopefully, Gunn will continue to provide those much-needed updates.
