Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav dismissed the idea because he felt the script was “too woke.” According to a 2021 article from The Hollywood Reporter, J.J. Abrams had signed on to produce a Black Superman movie, and Ta-Nehisi Coates writing the script. J.D. Dillard, Steven Caple Jr., Regina King, and Shaka King were all being considered to direct. Dillard, however, told The Wrap in 2022 that he was never contacted about potentially helming the film and was set the civil rights era but was canceled for being to woke by WB Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav.