Michael B. Jordan Shares Blunt Response to Black Superman Casting Rumors

For almost two years now, rumors have been circulating that Michael B. Jordan would be taking on the role of Black Superman in an HBO Max project.

The rumor of Jordan's future portrayal of Val-Zod, an alternate Kryptonian hero from the more well-known Kal-El (Clark Kent/Superman), began with Collider revealing that early development on a "Black Superman project" with Jordan had started.

Since then, not much has been publicly revealed, and with no "Black Superman" project on James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU slate, hope for the project may seem futile.

But, a new response from Jordan himself may re-ignite excitement for his iteration of the Kryptoninan.

Is Jordan Playing Black Superman?

During a red carpet event for the upcoming third Creed film, Entertainment Tonight (ET) asked Michael B. Jordan about the rumors circulating that he would be taking on the role of Black Superman (Val-Zod) sometime in the future.

ET did not so much phrase the question as a question, but more as a statement for Jordan to confirm or deny. Disappointingly to fans hoping the actor would slip, he did neither and took on the defensive, saying he did not "even know about no rumors:"

ET: "And finally, you came back for 'Black Panther[: Wakanda Forever].' We were so happy about that. But now you’re gonna take on the DC role of Black Superman."

Jordan: "Who said that? Who said that?"

ET: "I said that!"

Jordan: "You said that. I didn’t say that. I don’t even know about no rumors about that one."

ET: "Okay."

Jordan: "Uh-huh. Wow."

Jordan's denial of having even heard of the Black Superman rumors, though, is refuted by his own comments on them in a 2021 interview with CinePOP. Granted, he did say in that interview that he did not "really know what is going on with that in particular:"

"I mean, I don’t know. I think you know there’s a...I don’t really know what is going on with that in particular, but I think everybody’s want and desire to see Black leads and heroic roles I think is really important. Representation is important."

How Would Black Superman Fit Into DCU Plans?

Given that Superman: Legacy, the major Man-of-Steel-related project in James Gunn and Peter Safran's Gods and Monsters DCU chapter, is going to focus on Clark Kent, it is unlikely that Michael B. Jordan would appear as Black Superman in the main DCU continuity - at least not yet.

Elseworlds stories like The Batman - Part II are on the table, and this rumored "Black Superman project" would fit the bill. Confirming this project as its own, stand-alone story could be a way to tell this story without confining it to existing plans.

However, nothing official has been revealed about the project, as of publication. Rumors and speculation have dominated the conversation about the project, and this not-quite-denial from Jordan can give fans hope that the project is still in the works. But, until more is officially announced, that is all fans have.