J.J. Abrams has had discussions with Warner Bros. Pictures about a new Superman film, according to Variety.
Abrams, who has become a franchise revitalizer with Star Trek and Star Wars, recently signed a multi-year first look deal between WB and his company, Bad Robot. The Hollywood trades were already speculating Abrams might be a fit for DC film projects before Tuesday morning’s report.
Back in 2002 when Abrams was a relative unknown, Warner Bros. hired him to write a Superman film reboot which ended up being titled Superman: Flyby. The studio courted McG and Brett Ratner to direct, and had auditioned the future Superman & Lois Lane Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, but ultimately the project was shelved in favor of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns.
The Variety story also brings up a report from over a year ago, that actor Michael B. Jordan had talks with the studio about a Superman film. The Hollywood trade ads to that, saying that in early 2019 the actor/producer pitched the studio his “vision for the character.” While he had a vision, Jordan reportedly “isn’t ready to commit” to a film given it’s not “likely to happen for several years.”
Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20. The director told Stephen Colbert Monday evening that he ‘locked’ (made the final edits) that film just the day prior.