DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn was pictured with Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani in a recent photo, reigniting the heated debate that the actor may have been cast as an iconic DC hero. As part of the DCU's original Chapter 1 slate announcement, Gunn unveiled Booster Gold as an HBO Max live-action comedy series. The show will centre on Michael Carter, a far-future loser who uses his era's technology to travel back in time and become a superhero. In the more than two years since its announcement, Booster Gold has seen limited movement, but reports have claimed that Eternals and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani has landed the leading role. More recently, Booster Gold took a promising step forward in hiring Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins to pen the HBO pilot.
Nanjiani's rumored Booster Gold casting sparked controversy for several reasons, most notably due to the race swap, as Michael Carter is typically a white American, while the Eternals star is of Pakistani descent. The comedy icon is also 47 years old, and many have been unsure that a middle-aged actor is the right fit for the usually mid-30s hero, especially as DC Studios already cast a 59-year-old to play Hal Jordan in HBO's Lanterns, setting him up for a quick retirement.
While chatter has been quiet on Kumail Nanjani's heated Booster Gold casting for some time, that was reignited when the MCU actor was pictured embracing DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn at the Peacemaker Season 2 premiere. His attendance at the DCU event has stirred up speculation that he has been cast as Booster Gold and could debut as soon as Peacemaker's upcoming run.
Originally, it was Nexus Point News who broke the story that Nanjiani would play Booster Gold in July 2024. As social media went wild discussing the photo, the outlet's own Apocalyptic Horseman stuck to his guns of the over-a-year-old report, taking to X to say, "Oh, it’s happening."
James Gunn has been open before that actors would not be cast for the DCU until scripts were complete, and yet, Booster Gold seems far from done. Therefore, if Nanjiani has indeed landed the role, he may show up in a project before his HBO Max show, which could conceivably be Peacemaker Season 2.
The DC Studios boss teased in a recent interview that Season 2 holds a “really, really, really big cameo" (who some theorized may be a Justice League hero). As the show is expected to set up the greater DCU, it seems conceivable that Booster Gold could feature as a guest star or cameo appearance.
There is also a Blue Beetle animated sequel show set for a 2026 release, and given Ted Kord's famous friendship with Michael Carter, it is conceivable that Booster Gold could find his way into a debut there.
Otherwise, fans may be waiting until Booster Gold premieres to meet the new DCU hero, which may be some time away, as the show has no release window and David Jenkins has only more recently taken on pilot writing duties.
All Signs Point to Kumail Nanjiani as DCU Booster Gold
Interestingly, while James Gunn has been known to debunk viral rumors, including one about Booster Gold's production plan, he never chimed in on claims that Nanjiani had landed the coveted superhero role.
At one point, the rumors were even seemingly confirmed by Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2024 while speaking with The Cosmic Circus.
It's worth noting that Nexus Point News was the first to report that Danny McBride, John Carcieri, and Jeff Fradley had come on board to write Booster Gold. And when David Jenkins signed on more recently to write the pilot, he confirmed on Instagram that he had "[inherited] this project from Danny McBride," only adding further reliability to the outlet's sources on the project.
While the signs are adding up that Nanjiani will play Booster Gold, his presence at the Peacemaker premiere certainly isn't the damning evidence some think. Not only has he attended one of the director's premieres before with The Suicide Squad, but the director had also "written a cameo for [his] friend" Nanjiani in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that was scrapped due to his Eternals casting.
Gunn has a history of casting his closest actor friends for projects where they fit a certain role or cameo, which could give Nanjiani a leg-up for Booster Gold. That said, it also means his presence at the Peacemaker premiere may have nothing to do with a DC Studios connection, but rather out of supportive friendship for Gunn.
