One of the most exciting projects announced by DC Studios in its memorable 2023 slate reveal was the HBO Max series, Booster Gold. The show is meant to focus on 25th century resident Michael Jon Carter, a once-promising football player who loses everything. Wanting to change his life around, he takes technology from his time and travels back to the past (the DC Universe's present) to become a world-renowned superhero.
Some time after the show's announcement, a report emerged that Danny McBride (This is the End, The Righteous Gemstones) would write the story. Most significantly, Kumail Nanjiani—best known for his roles in Silicon Valley and Eternals—started to be heavily rumored to have been cast as the time-traveling hero. Over time, however, development on the series appeared to slow down significantly, with only sporadic updates seeing the light of day, such as it getting a new pilot writer/potential showrunner in mid-2025.
Now, a new rumor regarding the show's development has come out, and it makes it sound as though the project is still ways away from happening. Scooper Apocalyptic Horseman held a Q&A on X. A user asked him if there were any updates regarding Booster Gold, to which he replied that, as far he knew, development was ongoing, and Kumail Nanjiani was still set to star:
"Nah. Unfortunately still being developed. Kumail is still Booster, las I heard."
It's important to note that Nanjiani has never been officially cast in the show. Instead, his link to it stems from various rumors and, strangely enough, a DCU star. In July 2024, Nexus Point News reported that The Big Sick star had signed on to play Booster Gold. In July 2024, The Cosmic Circus published a report on GalaxyCon Raleigh 2024, where it stated that Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña had confirmed Nanjiani was, indeed, going to portray the glory-hungry hero:
"[When] I asked about the Booster Gold rumors that were circulating, Xolo Maridueña told me that Kumail Nanjiani is indeed cast as Booster Gold. He briefly mentioned his excitement at the prospect of a future team up between Blue Beetle and Booster Gold in the DCU."
Then, in August 2025, a picture of Nanjiani hugging James Gunn popped up on social media. Responding to an individual seemingly expressing concern over the actor's potential casting, Apocalyptic Horseman hinted at him being in line to play Booster:
Regarding development, the last major update came in July 2025 when Deadline revealed that DC Studios had tapped Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins to write the pilot for the show. Per the report, should the series move forward, Jenkins will serve as the series' showrunner. The news was corroborated by Jenkins himself on Instagram with the following message:
"It's true y'all! I'm writing a pilot about this lovable goofball for [HBO Max]!! Honored to work for James Gunn, and very happy to inherit this project from Danny McBride, two of my creative heroes."
James Gunn commented on the status of Booster Gold during an appearance on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2024. When asked about the rumors of Nanjiani being cast in the titular role, the Man of Tomorrow director stated:
"I mean, we're not quite there yet, in terms of Booster Gold. We're not quite there yet. We're just not quite there in terms of, the scripts aren't quite where I want them to be. From the beginning, I've made it clear that the one thing that we're gonna do at DC is, no matter what, we're going to wait until the screenplays and the teleplays are ready before we shoot them. And I'm not going to shoot anything until I'm happy with it."
Booster Gold does not have a release date, but DC Studios' next TV series, Lanterns, is slated to release on HBO Max in 2026.
What do you make of this new Booster Gold rumor? Are you excited about the show? Let me know in the comments!