When it comes to superhero movies, Michael B. Jordan has assembled an extensive resume. Following his debut in the genre voicing Cyborg in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, he made the jump to live-action as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in 2015’s Fantastic Four, then joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Killmonger for Black Panther, a brief appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and a couple vocal outings in the animated What If… ? series. Back in 2021, it was reported that Jordan was coming back to DC to work on a Val-Zod Superman project, but when we recently inquired with the actor about this this, it didn’t go as planned.
CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb spoke with Michael B. Jordan on behalf of Creed III, which not only sees the actor reprising Adonis Creed, but also serves as his directorial debut. Naturally Jordan was open when it came to talking about the latest installment of the Rocky franchise, including why he avoided saying ‘action’ and ‘cut’ on set, as well as how he learned to let go of Creed III after watching it more than 100 times. However, when Jeff simply brought up the Val-Zod Superman project to Jordan, an offscreen public relations representative swiftly said that topic was not going to be discussed. Watch the moment unfold in the below video from our TikTok page.
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So we got shut down trying to learn more about this Val-Zod Superman project, but at least Michael B. Jordan commended Jeff for making a “noble attempt” and gave him a fist bump for his efforts. If you’re unfamiliar with this item on Jordan’s to-do list, it was originally reported he’s producing the project through his production company Outlier Society, and that it would be exclusively available to HBO Max subscribers. By October 2021, word came in that Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters had been tapped to write the Val-Zod project as a miniseries that would be distributed exclusively to HBO Max subscribers, but this has yet to be officially confirmed. It also hasn’t been clarified yet if Jordan would play Val-Zod or only work on this project behind the scenes,
The Val-Zod incarnation of Superman was introduced in 2014’s Earth-2 #19, and he hails from the title alternate continuity rather than the main DC universe that was the focus of the New 52 era. Like Earth-2’s Kal-El and Kara Zor-El, Val-Zod survived the destruction of Krypton, but upon arriving on Earth, he was swiftly hidden from the outside world. Eventually that Earth’s other superheroes discovered his existence and he took over as the new Superman, but his pledge of pacifism initially prevented him from getting involved in violent situations. Val-Zod has yet to be depicted outside of the comics, so whether Michael B. Jordan plays him in live-action or someone else, it’s about time for the character to shine on the screen.
Michael B. Jordan kept quiet this time around, but rest assured that CinemaBlend will pass along any major updates that come in regarding what’s happening with the Val-Zod Superman project. Until then, head to the theater to see Jordan in Creed III, or take a look at the upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows.
