David Zaslav canceled Warner Bros. Pictures’ plans to make a Black Superman movie.
Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios have launched a shared universe featuring fan-favorite DC characters, the DCU. Headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the first DCU project was 2024’s Creature Commandos, while Superman is now playing in United States theaters.
Why was the Black Superman movie canceled by David Zaslav?
Before Gunn and Safran were hired as co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios, Warner Bros. had plans to make “Black Superman in the civil rights era,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The project was being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav dismissed the idea because he felt the script was “too woke.”
According to a 2021 article from The Hollywood Reporter, J.J. Abrams had signed on to produce the Black Superman movie, while J.D. Dillard, Steven Caple Jr., Regina King, and Shaka King were all being considered to direct. Dillard, however, told The Wrap in 2022 that he was never contacted about potentially helming the film.
There still may be some hope for the project, as The Wall Street Journal’s article mentions that Gunn and Safran “could still try to make the movie in the future.”
There has been no DCU Black Superman movie formally announced at this time. Following the release of Superman, the next DCU outing will be Peacemaker Season 2, which arrives in August 2025. Following that is Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl on June 26, 2026, and James Watkins’ Clayface on September 11, 2026, while the Lanterns television series is also expected to premiere at some point in 2026.
Other DCU titles that are in development at this time include The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Wonder Woman, Creature Commandos Season 2, Waller, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, and more.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
