Michael B. Jordan Addresses New Superman Rumors, Updates 'Static Shock' Progress

Before Michael B. Jordan took on Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he had a breakthrough performance in the found footage superhero movie Chronicle. And there's still plenty of superhero action in his future, and fans actually want him to do even more.

At DC FanDome last year, Warner Bros. Pictures announced a movie was in development based on the DC Comics character Static Shock. Jordan isn't taking the title role, but he's producing the movie and recently provided a status update. Meanwhile, fans have been champing at the bit to see the Creed star play the new Superman in a film that will be written by Black Panther comics writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams. But Jordan says we shouldn't get too excited.

Speaking with Collider, Jordan provided an update on where the Static Shock movie is at right now:

"Right now we have a writer, Randy McKinnon, who's putting together a draft right now, really excited. As a kid growing up, watching Static Shock, it was something that inspired me. And having that type of representation at a young age, it was really important to me. And I know it would be important to a lot of other kids today. So to be able to adapt the live-action version of that, I'm really, really excited about. So no real timelines, and I guess no real updates or anything like that. But we're in the process of building that out. And I can't wait to have something more to tell you guys later."

Static Shock was a breakthrough comic book character for Black representation in the superhero genre, and having Jordan produce the first feature film outing for the character will hopefully yield positive results. However, when it comes to tackling another DC Comics superhero, it sounds like maybe we shouldn't get our hopes up.

Not too long ago, we heard about a new Superman movie that will be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams. It has been suggested that this new version of Superman will usher in the first Black iteration of the character, and Michael B. Jordan has been at the top of a lot of wishlists. But if he's had any discussions about putting on the red cape and blue tights, he's keeping that to himself. When asked about the possibility about him playing Superman, Jordan said:

"I mean, I'm flattered that I keep coming up in conversation in these rumors to play characters like that. I mean, as you know, I've been rumored to play so many different characters over the years. I mean, at this point, it's flattering, I'm humbled by it. And whoever ends up stepping into that role, it's definitely one to look for."

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan seemed to distance himself from the role even more:

"It's smart of DC to grab Ta-Nehisi to go ahead and adapt that project. He's incredibly talented. It's going to be worth checking out. I'm flattered that people have me in that conversation. It's definitely a compliment, but I'm just watching on this one."

That last line would seem to indicate that he'll just be in theaters watching this new Superman like the rest of us. But he could also be saying that right now he's just watching to see how the situation unfolds. Since Superman is likely still in the nascent stages of development, the studio probably isn't in the casting stage just yet. That doesn't mean the studio isn't already eyeing potential stars, but maybe it's just too soon for any potential actors to know what's going on behind the scenes. Either way, even if Jordan knew, it's not like he could say anything.

You can catch Michael B. Jordan in Without Remorse on Amazon Prime this weekend, and soon he'll be directing himself in Creed III, this time without Sylvester Stallone in his corner.