Michael B. Jordan developing Black Superman series for HBO Max

J.J. Abrams is making a Superman movie starring a Black actor as Clark Kent. Now, Michael B. Jordan is making his own series about Val-Zod.

A couple of months back, we reported on J.J. Abrams producing a Superman movie that would start a Black actor in the role of Kal-El/Clark Kent, to be paired with a Black filmmaker, written by journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates. When it rains, it pours. Now, Collider reports that Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan — who some fans speculated about starring in Abrams’ movie — is developing his own Black Superman project, this time as a limited series for HBO Max.

Jordan’s project — which he may or may not star in — is different from Abrams’ in another important way: while movie stars a Black actor as Clark Kent, who is traditionally depicted as white in DC Comics, Jordan’s would revolve around Val-Zod, a Superman from Earth 2. (Hey, if Marvel can play around in the multiverse, why not DC?) Val-Zod is orphaned after his parents are executed by Krypton’s High Court, and raised by Earth-2 by Terry Sloan, aka Mister Terrific.

Val-Zod is one of a couple of canonically Black Supermen from DC Comics. Another is Calvin Ellis, the Superman from Earth 23, where he is also the President of the United States.

Jordan is very busy at the moment. He’s prepping to direct his first movie, Creed III, and is also producing a Static Shock movie. It’s unclear whether his Superman project would be connected to Abrams’, or if they’ll be entities unto themselves a la Joker, or what.

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