Superman returns… but who will play him?

New reports indicate Ta-Nehisi Coates will write a Superman feature for DC/Warner Bros. J.J. Abrams will produce the film under his Bad Robot label.

“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates told Shadow and Act. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”

Currently, the project is in very early development. That means we don’t have much information yet: no director attached, and no filming or release date.

Plus, there’s the whole “who’s going to play Superman?” question. Henry Cavill has been the DCEU’s Superman since 2013’s Man of Steel. But although he appears to be planning some cameo appearances as the hero (we’re holding out for Shazam 2), Warner Bros. made it seem like Cavill wouldn’t appear as Superman in a lead role.

As for what Coates has in store for fans with his Superman story, we’ll have to wait and see.

“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity,” Abrams said.

Coates is a bestselling writer, author of The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, and Between The World And Me, which won the National Book Award in 2015. Interestingly, Coates will actually make the jump from Marvel to DC; he previously wrote for Black Panther and Captain America comics.

“Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me opened a window and changed the way many of us see the world,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “We’re confident that his take on Superman will give fans a new and exciting way to see the Man of Steel.”

Fans eager for more Superman content should watch out for Cavill’s next appearance as the hero in the upcoming release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

So, what do you think about a new Superman movie? And do you want to see Cavill return? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Shadow and Act