JJ Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates' Superman movie could still happen, says James Gunn

cover of All-Star Superman: Absolute Edition by Frank Quitely
(Image credit: DC)

Now that James Gunn is directing his own Superman reboot movie as co-CEO DC Films, he says there's room for both his vision and a previously announced Superman movie written by longtime Black Panther comic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by JJ Abrams.

"Those two things are totally unrelated," Gunn told io9. "That’s an exciting movie. I know that Chantal Nong, who is the executive on that project, is extremely excited about it. So if it comes in and it’s great, which I haven’t read the script, and if the timing is right, that could absolutely happen. That's totally unrelated. It would be an Elseworlds tale like Joker."

The key to Gunn's explanation is of course the 'Elseworlds' branding, which denotes the idea of alternate reality takes from the core DC Films continuity. The term 'Elseworlds' originated in comic books, where it has traditionally meant the same thing - stories that exist in parallel realities and alt-timelines.

Initially, Batman and Superman were the usual stars of Elseworlds comic book tales - the branding even launched with the 1989 Batman: Gotham by Gaslight one-shot by writer Brian Augustyn and artists Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell.

Despite the original Elseworlds line generally featuring Batman and Superman characters, dozens of DC heroes and villains also appeared in Elseworlds stories over the years, with the Joker becoming a consistent presence as well.

“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told," J.J. Abrams said of the movie he and Coates were working on when news of the film first broke in 2021. 

"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."

Gunn's Superman: Legacy reboot film is heavily inspired by the classic story All-Star Superman, which is one of the best Superman comics of all time.

CATEGORIES
George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

Read more
James Gunn
James Gunn and Zack Snyder's viral photo was posted to prove to DC fans there's no bad blood between them: "It's such a weird dynamic that's been created between factions online"
Superman
James Gunn cryptically suggests that the DCU is building towards a Superman and Batman crossover
David Corenswet as Superman
James Gunn has held screenings for Superman and the feedback means they're "making little changes" – and won't rule out "tiny" reshoots
James Gunn
James Gunn says he's busy writing his next DC Studios project, and fans think they've worked out what it is
Superman and Lois Lane in Superman
Will Superman save the day? James Gunn's upcoming DC movie will make or break the new DCU
James Gunn
James Gunn's DC Studios puts several projects on the backburner, including Waller, The Authority, Booster Gold, and its Batman reboot
Latest in DC Movies
The cast of Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer admits James Gunn has good reason not to release his cut of Suicide Squad, but he remains hopeful it'll happen
Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ben Affleck reflects on the "excruciating experience" playing Batman in the Zack Snyder movies: "A lot of it was misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations"
James Gunn
James Gunn reacts to Jason Momoa almost spoiling his Lobo costume in an interview: "I just want to profoundly thank Jason’s publicist"
Jason Momoa next to Lobo
Jason Momoa has gone method taking on the role of Lobo: "I asked everybody to call me by my character's name"
Batgirl movie
Unearthed Daredevil-like fight scene from DC's canceled Batgirl movie gives us a taste of what we could have had
Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie
Jason Momoa says the DCU's Lobo is "exactly like" the comic book character in upcoming Supergirl movie
Latest in News
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady's rumored single-player Batman game is in development for PC, PS5, Xbox, and "the next generation of consoles"
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs