David Zaslav has faced backlash for a number of his decisions while managing Warner Bros. Discovery. However, a reason for one of his previous decisions has been reportedly revealed, and now an all-new wave of backlash is starting. Specifically, it looks like he reportedly had Warner Bros. Discovery cancel a DC movie for being “too woke.”
It’s no secret that the studio’s direction for DC was all over the place at one time. The studio did not yet have James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead their superhero franchise with a cohesive plan, and after their DCEU movies started to flop, it became clear that things needed to change.
For starters, the studio couldn’t decide on what to do with Henry Cavill’s Superman, and it wasn’t until James Gunn was brought onboard that the character was reinvented for the new film starring David Corenswet. Prior to this, however, another plan was almost put into place until Zaslav had the concept scrapped.
Now that the newest Superman movie has been released, it’s been reported that one previously-floated idea, to make a movie with a Black Superman, was canceled because Zaslav didn’t like the idea. While the character has been portrayed as a Black character in various comics, this would have been the first time for a feature film to do so. At such an uncertain time for the brand, however, it looks like Zaslav didn’t want to risk doing something that different – or woke, if this report regarding the unmade DC project is accurate.
This version of the character is said to have been the focus of a screenplay from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. J.J. Abrams was also said to be producing the project as part of his deal between Bad Robot and Warner Bros., only one project from which has so far been released.
As shared via The Wall Street Journal, however, the project was ultimately axed by David Zaslav. The CEO is said to have called this Black Superman idea “too woke” to be made, and as a result, the potential film was completely scrapped.
For those wondering about the plot, it was said to have revolved around the Black version of Kal-El growing up on Earth in the 1930s. Of course, during this period, America was festering with racism that would have certainly given Kal-El a very different view of life on Earth. A view that Zaslav allegedly didn’t want to have on the big screen.
The Wall Street Journal does go over different routes that Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery considered when trying to correct the issues with their live-action DCEU franchise. However, nothing apparently worked until James Gunn and Peter Safran came onboard. Now that their new movie Superman has so far been a hit, it seems like they made the right choice on that front, though many fans are no doubt upset hearing that a Black Superman movie was reportedly axed because Zaslav didn’t want anything “woke.”
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional DC news as we have it. For now, James Gunn’s Superman which fully launches the DCU is currently playing in theaters.