Michael B. Jordan’s Val Zod Superman Project Finds Writers
Michael B. Jordan's Val-Zod Superman project has found its writers. Val-Zod is part of DC's Earth 2, where he eventually becomes Superman after escaping Krypton as a baby, same as Kal-El, and Kara Zor-El. Val-Zod made his first appearance in Earth 2 #19 in March 2014 and has since become a mainstay in DC's multiverse of comics characters, and one of many Supermen throughout it.
As WB has floundered to figure out how to carry on the Superman legacy in the DCEU, the latest endeavors to be announced were two Black Superman projects, one coming from J.J. Abrams that would reimagine Kal-El as Black and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, while the other is Michael B. Jordan's adaptation of the Val-Zod version of Superman. Abrams' version will be a reboot of the character of Kal-El, while Jordan's version will be an adaptation of an existing Black Superman within the DC Universe.
Now comes word via Deadline that Jordan's project has found its writers in Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters, who have made a name for themselves with their Amazon project Nola, a pilot script for a Hannibal historical series, as well as script work on the next Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. It's said that they have a "unexpected take on the iconic Earth-2 character’s origin story." The Val-Zod Superman project falls under Jordan's Outlier Society production company and is expected to be a limited series that would debut on HBO Max. Jordan is executive producing alongside Elizabeth Raposo, but has not yet committed to starring in the lead role, although it's possible he may.
Jordan recently appeared in Amazon Prime's Without Remorse adaptation and will next feature in director Denzel Washington's A Journal For Jordan. The actor also recently returned to the role of Killmonger, voicing the Black Panther character again for the Disney+ show, What If...? Currently, Jordan is preparing for his next big venture, both acting in and directing Creed III, the third installment of the Rocky spinoff series, which is set to debut in 2022.
Jordan has taken a unique position, not only as an actor, but as a producer (and soon-to-be director), securing projects that capitalize on his interests and preferences, rather than being led down a path by outside interests. Choosing Val-Zod over a rebooted Kal-El shows that he's more interested in established superhero characters, and his line-up of projects under his Outlier Society banner is impressive, including a live-action adaptation of Static Shock for DC, The Broken Earth trilogy for Sony, and (ironically) a new version of The Thomas Crown Affair. With Creed III being a major career step for the prolific creator, it'll be interesting to watch his feature and TV work develop, but behind and in front of the camera in the coming years.
Source: Deadline