According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael B. Jordan and his production company Outlier Society Productions is set to produce Static Shock for Warner Bros. and DC Comics. The project was previously announced to be in development by current comic writer Reginald Hudlin back in August at DC FanDome.
In a statement to THR, Jordan said, “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centred 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.”
Static Shock, originally created by the late Dwayne McDuffie and the Millennium Comics team, first debuted in DC Comics in 1993, but was made popular by the 2000’s Kids WB television series of the same name. The story follows Virgil Hawkins, an African-American boy who gains electrical superpowers and uses them to fight other super-powered criminals in his home of Dakota City. The comic, as well as the show, was notable for tackling heavy social issues, which helped in garnering acclaim as well as a cult following over the years.
With Jordan having a public love for comics and anime, as well as already dipping his toes in comic-book films with playing Erik Killmonger in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, having him attached to produce a film featuring such a prominent and popular African-American superhero makes total sense. As well, Outlier Society has also seen success in producing several high quality works, such as the animated series Gen:Lock in collaboration with Rooster Teeth.
Either way, the news has us all excited, and we look forward to seeing more news about this project in the future.