Multi-hyphenate starMichael B. Jordanis attaching himself to another big superhero story. This week, Jordan confirmed his involvement in theStatic Shockmovie currently in development over at Warner Bros. Back in August, theBlack Pantheralum’s name was dropped in association with the nascent project via comic book writerReginald Hudlin, who is set to write aStatic Shockdigital comics series beginning February 2021 and is also working on this new movie.
Jordan confirmed his role in theStatic Shockmovie onTwitteron Friday. The actor posted a photo of the firstStaticcomic book issue and added in some cheeky emojis for flavor. In addition to Jordan’s very relaxed tweet, he also shared an official statement withThe Hollywood Reporterabout his involvement in the movie, commenting, “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around black superheroes; our community deserves that. Outlier Society is committed to bringing to life diverse comic book content across all platforms and we are excited to partner with Reggie and Warner Bros on this initial step.”
The character of Static, a.k.a. Virgil Hawkins, first appeared in 1993’sStaticVol. 1 comic for Milestone Comics. Static’s superpowers come as a result of interaction with a radioactive substance, giving the hero the ability to control electromagnetic fields. Static Shock came about as a younger, more kid-friendly version of the Static character who appeared in the WB animated series of the same name. The now-defunct Milestone label was, at the time, an outlet founded by Black writers and artists that had distribution through DC. In addition to writing a newStatic Shockdigital series, Hudlin will also be involved in relaunching Milestone with DC’s help.
THR also notes in their report Jordan and his Warner Bros.-based shingle Outlier Society will be serving in a producer role on theStatic Shockmovie. It also marks the third superhero-based project Jordan, a notable and fervent fan of comic books and anime, has gotten involved with over the years. Previously, the actor played Johnny Storm inJosh Trank’s ill-fatedFantastic Fourreboot and Killmonger inRyan Coogler’s much-celebratedBlack Panther. TheStatic Shockmovie offers Jordan a unique opportunity to bring his love of and experience in the comic book world behind the camera as a producer. And, if you’re wondering, it’s unclear if Jordan will stick to just producing or if he will possibly appear in the movie, too.
We’ll keep you posted about theStatic Shockmovie as it develops. Check out Michael B. Jordan’s very chill, very low-key confirmation tweet below. Get even more updates from DC FanDomehere.
Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter@_matineeidle.
