J.J. Abrams took over Star Trek, then Star Wars, and now Spider-Man. And it looks like he has his eye on Superman next. Variety’s Justin Kroll was on Barstool Sports’ podcast, My Mom’s Basement. The reporter has been known for his reports. So here, he gave insight on the whispers he’s heard around Hollywood. He spoke about Abrams signing a deal with Warner Bros. And upon the new deal, the filmmaker could want to tackle one of the studio’s heavy-hitters.
“I hope the new Warner Bros. deal leads to more stuff, maybe someone with a cape. We’ll see. That’s a hint.”
Before the Barstool Sports podcast, Cosmic Book News reported that Abrams passed on deals from Apple and Disney, over his preference for DC and WB.
“A recent report confirmed that Abrams passed on a potential billion-dollar deal with Apple because Apple didn’t have a theatrical distribution model. So that is why Abrams signed with WB, so he could develop movies (among other things). Abrams didn’t stick with Disney, most likely because he couldn’t develop Marvel, and Star Wars is a big mess, and Abrams didn’t stick with Paramount, probably because he already did Star Trek and doesn’t want to go near Transformers. So, again, part of the reason Abrams signed with WarnerMedia is that Abrams feels he can successfully develop the DC characters, which will also involve the HBO Max streaming service.”
Furthermore, along with those rumors of Abrams taking on Superman, he wants a different actor in the role. Robert Pattison replaced Ben Affleck as Batman. And it was made evident at the end of Shazam! that Henry Cavill was done with Supes.
The report further states, that along with Reeves and James Gunn, a soft reboot is planned for the DCEU. Aquaman‘s James Wan is offered a position in the council of overseers if he wants. Gunn is currently working on The Suicide Squad, which a cast list has been announced and has started filming. He will return to Marvel for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But is said to return to DC when he’s finished with his obligations to Disney.
Abrams was working on a Superman movie years ago. His film, Superman Flyby, was actually supposed to star Henry Cavill and Amy Adams in the roles they eventually played. And Robert Downey, Jr. was to play Lex Luthor. Though Superman Flyby was never released, and Superman Returns did (with Brandon Routh, who will reprise that role soon).
With The Batman, and possibly a new Superman, what begs the question is what will this soft reboot look like? Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad will reprise Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn from the prior DCEU. Wonder Woman 1984 will come out next year. And sequels to Aquaman and Shazam! are on the horizon. Will there be two cinematic universes? Or will WB force the set of younger actors into the set of older ones?
Whatever happens with Abrams in his new venture with DC, he does have other stokes in the fire. He has returned to Star Wars to helm the last installment in the Skywalker Saga. Also, contrary to passing on Disney and Marvel, he is writing a new Spider-Man comic with his son.
The world of cinematic DC may be changing. But they are still moving forward. Joker is in theaters now. Birds of Prey (and the really long sub-title about Harley Quinn) is slated for February 7th, 2020. And Wonder Woman 1984 will arrive June 5th, 2020. For everything else DC, stay tuned to Screen Geek.