A new report from Variety details the future of DC Comics films and also confirms rumors that Michael B. Jordan was in talks to portray Superman in a franchise.

With the success of characters like Joker and Harley Quinn, Warner Bros. is working to figure out how to bring back Batman and Superman as they determine what works best for them.

“There’s a huge appetite for R-rated superhero movies and if Marvel isn’t going to step up, that presents an opening for DC to tap into that audience,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, to Variety.

Variety’s report reads, “To help find a way to make Superman relevant to modern audiences, studio brass has been polling lots of high-profile talent. There have been discussions with J.J. Abrams, whose company Bad Robot recently signed a massive first-look deal with the studio, and there was a meeting with Michael B. Jordan earlier this year with the Creed star pitching Warner on a vision for the character. However, Jordan isn’t ready to commit to taking on the project since filming doesn’t seem likely to happen for several years and he has a full dance card of projects. Insiders think that a new Superman film is unlikely to hit screens before 2023, given that there’s no script and no director attached.”

Of course, this wouldn’t be Jordan’s first foray into superhero territory. Jordan portrayed Johnny Storm/Human Torch in Fox’s ill-fated Marvel Fantastic Four reboot in 2015, and of course portrayed Erik Killmnger in Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther. 

You can see him on the big screen next month in Warner Bros.’ Just Mercy.

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Photo: Getty Images / DC Comics
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