The Good Citizens of Metropolis: The Casting Thread

[WhoMani]

I feel that changing Superman's skin colour screams of desperation in my opinion and I'm black but even I think that Superman has a specific look. MBJ is a good but I can't see him pulling off Superman. Honestly if WB want a "Black Superman" then why not use Icon from the Milestone comics?

The only time a black Superman will be accepted if its conceived as an elseworld story like they've done in the comics. Kalel is a black Superman in comic but he lives a different Earth which is Earth 23. Also he's not called Clark Kent and he didn't grew up in a farm. Val Zod is another black Superman that's from another Earth so they could do either of those characters.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Eh, having no issue with a none white Supes does not make me part of some pc/sjw agenda or desperation. Hell, maybe they do need to put supes away for a bit and give Val Zod his own movie, why not. Elseworld story like they doing with that new Joker movie.

 

[WhoMani]

Eh, having no issue with a none white Supes does not make me part of some pc/sjw agenda or desperation. Hell, maybe they do need to put supes away for a bit and give Val Zod his own movie, why not. Elseworld story like they doing with that new Joker movie.

I'm not accusing anyone who's cool with this idea as SJW. I'm saying if this is true then it seems like desperation from WB for a character that needs a spark, that's all. I don't want WB to think that people aren't enthusiastic for Superman movie because he's a white male. A elseworld story with a black Superman could work... we just have to wait and see if this Joker movie will succeed or not.

 

[thebatfan5194]

I don't think it's an issue of race, I just think there is something to be said about maintaining the iconography of the character. He's been drawn/colored the same way for decades. It's like making Blade a white guy because there's nothing that says he HAS to be Black.

Black Panther took a character who is and always has been Black and it was a huge success, I feel like whenever they change a traditionally "white" character and change the race it almost always falls flat on its face and doesn't even generate much hype for Black audiences.

Just prop up those characters rather than appropriating others just to fulfill an agenda.

 

[Dark Raven]

They could make the Joker or Penguin black. There's nothing about them that says they have to be white. And Black Manta could've been white. He's just another Atlantean or sea guy. He doesn't have to be black.

 

[OutOfBoose]

The only way it can probably work for me, if it's an elseworld story.

 

[Black Narcissus]

All awesome.

 

[thebatfan5194]

Superman has more pop culture and historical relevance than all of those characters combined though...

You can change minor characters that no one cares about no problem, but we're talking about a character who's been an icon for almost 100 years... he should be preserved the way he is!

 

[thebatfan5194]

They could make the Joker or Penguin black. There's nothing about them that says they have to be white. And Black Manta could've been white. He's just another Atlantean or sea guy. He doesn't have to be black.

Yeah but imagine the uproar if Black Manta was recast as a white guy? The logic either works both ways or it doesn't.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Superman has more pop culture and historical relevance than all of those characters combined though...

You can change minor characters that no one cares about no problem, but we're talking about a character who's been an icon for almost 100 years... he should be preserved the way he is!

I might not be looking at the right places, but i saw the same amount of ''uproar'' for their castings as I'm seeing for this bs MBJ Superman suggestion, not even a rumor. And he can stay like he is in the comics, I have no issue with that. I also have no issue with him being a minority.

 

[thebatfan5194]

I might not be looking at the right places, but i saw the same amount of ''uproar'' for their castings as I'm seeing for this bs MBJ Superman suggestion, not even a rumor. And he can stay like he is in the comics, I have no issue with that. I also have no issue with him being a minority.

Uproar in comic book loving communities, but I'm talking about the world at large. If Superman was changed to a black actor, it would be a worldwide news story, guaranteed and would generate 100x the chatter. No one outside of geek communities care about Domino, Iris West, or whoever else.

My point is why not elevate black characters who were designed to be that way (Black Panther) rather than try to retrofit characters that have been the way they are for decades. Especially ones with looks as iconic as Superman?

On a related note, the fact that WB was even onsidering pulling a stunt like that just screams of desperation and short sighted thinking.

I wouldn't even mind if they decided to do a Val-Zod movie or something along those lines to mix it up but still use the "Superman" DNA, but outright changing Clark Kent just seems wrong to me.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Uproar in comic book loving communities, but I'm talking about the world at large. If Superman was changed to a black actor, it would be a worldwide news story, guaranteed and would generate 100x the chatter. No one outside of geek communities care about Domino, Iris West, or whoever else.

My point is why not elevate black characters who were designed to be that way (Black Panther) rather than try to retrofit characters that have been the way they are for decades. Especially ones with looks so iconic as Superman?

On a related note, the fact that WB was even onsidering pulling a stunt like that just screams of desperation and short sighted thinking.

Sorry, you underestimate how much well liked MBJ is. Black community in general would embrace this casting. Again, WB was not considering this casting, he is just a name that is always thrown out into the mix for most of their movies. You calling this a stunt is where I will leave this conversation, man. Don't like to pull my punches, but this is one of them threads i'm going to have to leave. lol Aight.

 

[thebatfan5194]

Sorry, you underestimate how much well liked MBJ is. Black community in general would embrace this casting. Again, WB was not considering this casting, he is just a name that is always thrown out into the mix for most of their movies. You calling this a stunt is where I will leave this conversation, man. Don't like to pull my punches, but this is one of them threads i'm going to have to leave. lol Aight.

Of COURSE the black community would embrace the casting, lol I'm not disputing that. I also like MBJ, he was great in Creed and Black Panther.

I'm just saying the "uproar" would permeate out of the Comic Book/Nerd community and would be a way bigger deal than the changes of Valkyrie, Domino, etc...

Also, how is it not a stunt? It would be changing something for the sake of drumming up interest and making something seem new/fresh, i.e. the definition of stunt. Don't think WB would even consider this if they thought there was a buck to made in it. It's a business after all.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Eh, I'm the wait and see type viewer. Until I see a minority fail as Supes then we can talk. At this point, they can get better directors interest with MBJ attached than they can with Cavill. lol

Much easier to reboot at this point too. Let them uproar is my motto, man.

 

[Dark Raven]

Yeah but imagine the uproar if Black Manta was recast as a white guy? The logic either works both ways or it doesn't.

Well you know it never works both ways. Is there anything particularly black about someone like Bill Foster that he has to be black? Yes, he was called Black Goliath before, but that wasn't because it was essential to him, but simply because that was the only way Marvel could think of at the time of distinguishing someone who was not white. But he went by the name Goliath later on.

Fortunately they didn't decide to come up with names like Black Storm, Black Falcon or Black Blade.

 

[Black Narcissus]

All i'm saying that some should be given the opportunity to try and then see if it fails. Is MBJ really worst casting than say guys like Nic Cage or DJ Cotrona? Granted, we never really got to see their versions either, but from a visual point it just kinda meh. I do wish that Nic Cage movie existed, but for all the wrong reasons. Crazy Cage as Supes!

 

[thebatfan5194]

All i'm saying that some should be given the opportunity to try and then see if it fails. Is MBJ really worst casting than say guys like Nic Cage or DJ Cotrona? Granted, we never really got to see their versions either, but from a visual point it just kinda meh. I do wish that Nic Cage movie existed, but for all the wrong reasons. Crazy Cage as Supes!

Superman Lives is one of those movies that I really wish had happened... Especially after watching the documentary, just seemed so bat**** insane that there's no way it wouldn't have been at least interesting/memorable...

Regarding the first part of your comment I want Oscar Isaac as Batman, so there's that. I guess for me personally it's more of a case by case basis.

 

[Black Narcissus]

I still hope to see Gugu as Lois Lane one day.

 

[Lencho01]

I'm also kinda surprised this is even a thread topic. The guy who mentioned MBJ as a potential candidate said this is not a real option, just WB throwing MBJ name to almost every film they are doing.

Man, you know how these people can be. A thread like this could exist simply at the random suggestion of some random fan.

No need for one sentence buried in an article that was about something else entirely different in order to spark the fire of people showing how much they hate the idea of a non-White Superman.

 

[jmc]

Uproar in comic book loving communities, but I'm talking about the world at large. If Superman was changed to a black actor, it would be a worldwide news story, guaranteed and would generate 100x the chatter. No one outside of geek communities care about Domino, Iris West, or whoever else.

My point is why not elevate black characters who were designed to be that way (Black Panther) rather than try to retrofit characters that have been the way they are for decades. Especially ones with looks as iconic as Superman?

It comes down to studios being stuck between a rock and hard place. The most popular characters were created in some cases decades ago when the demographics of the population were completely different. Through no fault of anyone the most popular franchises and modern mythologies in history have always skewed towards one demographic. The problem is studios stopped building on top of those foundations. Instead of generating new ideas that are more in line with today's demographics they've just recycled what has been popular in the past because it makes money. But they are caught between trying to adapt to new demographics and appeasing the old fan base, which is doing nothing but pissing people off. It's not just in comics or from men where this anger is coming from, you only have to look at the backlash to the Charmed and Buffy reboots to see these practices are pissing women off too now. The biggest issue though, whether it's gender bending or race bending or whatever, is that there's a complete failure from those rebooting the series to realise why people get angry at these changes. People want their icons preserved - it's that simple. They don't want them challenged or deconstructed, they want them to be as they are. The solution as you point out is easy, you simple elevate existing characters or create new ones, but it requires work and these days creative studios aren't willing to do that.

 

[samsnee]

I don’t really have an issue with Superman being black. However, it would inherently make the movie a more political one. You can’t just change his race and keep the same story of a kid growing up in middle America.

I don’t see how you can make a black Superman and not address what it was like for Clark to grow up black while at the same time being the most powerful person on Earth.

 

[Lobo]

Sebastian Stan as Superman. Think about it.

 

[David H.]

Pass.

 

[Rorschach2012]

John Krasinski

 

[ManWithNoName18]

I know a lot of people are thinking about this in terms of a total reboot with a non-white Clark Kent superman. But what about the one of the other "Supermen" taking up the mantle like Val Zod, or Kenan Kong.

Based on some rumors/speculation part of the reason Supergirl was put into development was to create an alternative to Superman.

I suppose it would depend on how much continuity currently matters to the DCEU, and how these "elseworld" movies turn out.