WBD Boss David Zaslav Pulled Plug On Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black SUPERMAN Movie For Being "Too Woke"

WBD Boss David Zaslav Pulled Plug On Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black SUPERMAN Movie For Being "Too Woke"

According to a new report, executive David Zaslav decided to scrap plans for a Superman movie with a Black lead after deeming the concept "too woke." Should we be worried about his influence over the DCU?

By JoshWilding - Jul 11, 2025 12:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: The Wall Street Journal

Talks of a Superman movie with a Black lead persisted for years. Michael B. Jordan was attached to play the Val-Zod version of the character in an HBO Max TV series, while writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was thought to be working on a separate movie, produced by J.J. Abrams.

When Henry Cavill was sidelined as the Man of Steel after he refused to return for Shazam!, we heard the idea was for a 1930s-set tale featuring a Black Kal-El attempting to find his place on Earth at a time when America was embroiled in racism.

It sounded like a fascinating concept, but it wasn't one that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was a fan of. You'll recall that he scrapped Batgirl two-thirds of the way into production as a "tax write-off," earning him a reputation for being ruthless and not afraid to upset filmmakers or fans.

According to The Wall Street Journal, shortly after taking over the studio, he decided to pull the project on Coates and Abrams' Superman movie for being "too woke."

We're not sure what's "woke" about the story of Black Man of Tomorrow, but the word is frequently used (incorrectly) to tear down anything that isn't led by a white male. 

There are other interesting tidbits in the article. For example, Zaslav had talks with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson about fixing the DC brand; those talks fell through when Black Adam bombed, derailing the former pro wrestler's plans to build a DC Universe around himself. 

Going even further back, after Justice League crashed and burned in 2017, Warner Bros. executives met with Marvel Studios President to try and get him to work on the DC brand. Unsurprisingly, those discussions didn't lead anywhere.

"Anything I do dive in has gotta be done the right way. It has to be full of authenticity," Jordan previously said of his Superman hopes. "I’m a fan of comic books, you know? I understand the fans being upset at, 'Oh no, why are doing this and why are they changing that?' I would feel the same way about certain things."

"So, just know, if I ever were to dabble in anything, it would be authentic and something that I feel like people would really support," the Black Panther and Sinners star added. 

While DC Studios runs independently of Warner Bros. Pictures, it's a little concerning to think about what type of veto power Zaslav has with any DCU projects he might similarly deem "too woke."

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/11/2025, 12:51 PM
In the current landscape of society it wouldn't stand a chance as a feature film. I could see a series or an animated movie working. Too many bigots in this world
dragon316
dragon316 - 7/11/2025, 12:53 PM
I like woke cooking
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/11/2025, 2:46 PM
@dragon316 - User Comment Image
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 7/12/2025, 8:31 PM
@ObserverIO - that guy wokes
skyshark03191
skyshark03191 - 7/11/2025, 12:53 PM
Good. Coates is an ass anyways. Great writer, but an ass all the same.
Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/11/2025, 12:54 PM
Good. We don't need nonwhite versions of white characters and vice versa.
MaxPaint
MaxPaint - 7/11/2025, 5:38 PM
@Pictilli - That's rich coming from a gunntard
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Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/11/2025, 6:13 PM
@MaxPaint - gotta spit out the bones. He was still better than Fishburne but yeah, I would have preferred a racially accurate Perry, but comparatively, this movie had a mostly racially accurate cast, moreso than most recent CBMs, especially the CW, and was not anti white.

So yeah.... hail James Gunn!
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 7/11/2025, 6:27 PM
@Pictilli - Except Jesus...

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Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/11/2025, 6:54 PM
@KennKathleen - Jesus isn't in the film.... but he's white too
SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 7/11/2025, 10:12 PM
@Pictilli - I get it that to you it doesn't matter if you sound like a racist or a bigot as long as popular "savior" character's/person's life and existence matches with yours so that you can feel better about yourself as if you are from some noble race or destined to greatness like them but its really not up to you to change their circumstances.

Superman has been always been a immigrant just like your ancestor was. Jesus Christ is not white, in fact, he was a olive-skinned brown Jew. So, if you are upset that they don't represent you 100% then think about the people you are trying to steal the representation from to feel extra special about your existence.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 7/11/2025, 10:26 PM
@Pictilli - "Good. We don't need nonwhite versions of white characters and vice versa."

My response was to this statement.

"Jesus isn't in the film.... but he's white too"

To that, I say this:

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KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 7/11/2025, 10:33 PM
@SpiderParker - User Comment Image

@Pictilli -


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Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/11/2025, 10:43 PM
@SpiderParker - I get that you're woke and feel like a good person because of it, but I never said that Superman wasn't an immigrant, just not an illegal one.

If Jesus was a jew, why don't jews believe this and why did they crucify him in the story? A white person is any of the original peoples of Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, and by that metric, Jesus was white. There's whites who get pink and red in the sun and gold and bronze in the sun, I don't have a picture and neither do you, but Christ was likely one or the other, because he was white. The New Testament is in Greek and Aramaic, two white languages, so of course its characters were white.
Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/11/2025, 10:44 PM
@KennKathleen - he was white and the only reason why nonwhite people were exposed to Christianity is because white people spread it all over the world as missionaries and conquistadors.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 7/11/2025, 11:17 PM
@Pictilli - your words about Christianity are correct.

Thing is- the word "CHRISTANITY" IS NEVER USED ONCE IN THE BIBLE.

In fact, CHRISTIANITY is the exact thing Christ/the Bible warned the Israelites about, thoughout the Bible! Those same conquistadors were prophecies given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28!!!

Who do you think painted the faces of the judges, mentioned in Job 9:24 kjv?

🤔 💭... it was Leonardo and Michaelangelo!

Who scattered the Israelites all over the earth via ships, mentioned in Deuteronomy28:68 kjv?

🤔 💭... those same
conquistadors! Pope Nicholas V gave the orders to spread Christianity. Those Israelites either conformed or died. This is how the Sub Saharan and later Trans-Atlantic Slave trades made the Israelites forget who they were!

Centuries later in 1948, the Balfour declaration gave Europeans from Poland, Germany and beyond the ability to enter the Holy land, converting and pronouncing themselves as the "ish", because they were not able to claim the actual title.

However, the goal was to suppress the truth for as long as possible. They created customs that were not at all Biblical. They blaspheme the image & message of Jesus Christ, and had/have a huge hand in the financing of the cargo slave trades (look up Wall Street's origin), and the continued oppression of saud unknown Israelites. That time is almost up...

I do enjoy these conversations with you. You make teaching fun here 😁.

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SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 7/11/2025, 11:30 PM
@Pictilli - Man, you are funny. Gold and Bronze in the Sun? And what, their skin reverts back? Are you talking about a Tan? Sure bro, Jesus had a tan. And by Evolution theory, original people couldn't have been white and were all darker skin.

So, good luck telling science how White people survived skin-cancer under the sun during the old times in Middle East countries like Israel and Palestine when they didn't have Amazon to deliver them goods while sitting in a air-conditioned room.

By the way, did Kal-El enter the country legally? No? Alright. Don't you feel ashamed that you respect a character like Superman but learn nothing from him? Truth? Justice? American Way?
Pictilli
Pictilli - 7/12/2025, 12:10 AM
@KennKathleen - The word judaism isn't in the Bible, either, neither is the word trinity. The word Christian is though....and someone who is a Christian follows Christianity. Don't hurt yourself thinking about it too hard.

You're an afrocentrist who believes black people are the real "chosen people" or jews, etc. All of that is demonstrably false but I don't really care if you believe it, it doesn't hurt me any, just don't expect me to do the same.
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