As if to spite Henry Cavill on his birthday, it’s been reported by THR that WB is working on a Superman movie with a black actor cast as Superman for the first time ever. While the internet is busy discussing on whether this is a good move or done for some good PR, Cyborg actor Ray Fisher opens up with his thoughts.
Here’s Fisher’s post:
I usually have to tweet before @wbpictures will release this kind of performative info.
Notice how NO ONE from the studio wanted their name on the piece?
Hiring more Black people doesn’t negate or erase the terrible way you’ve treated your Black employees.
Just apologize.
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) May 5, 2021
For the past months, it has been Fisher who has been touting “Accountability>Entertainment” as he has been trying to get WB to apologize for how it has treated its workers in the past, specifically during the making of Justice League. Now Fisher is seemingly suggesting that WB is making this Black Superman film as some kind of PR stunt without having the studio acknowledge how they had mistreated Fisher and his other fellow-workers.
Fisher also posted:
Do ya’ll remember that time Walter Hamada and @wbpictures tried to destroy a Black man’s credibility, and publicly delegitimize a very serious investigation, with lies in the press?
But hey, Black Superman…
A>E
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) February 27, 2021
For now, a lot of fans are frustrated that WB is taking the traditional Superman and recasting him with a black actor rather than just telling the story of existing “Black Supermen” in the form of characters Calvin Ellis, Val-Zod, or Steel.
If I were to throw a bone to WB though, I would actually be interested in watching an Elseworld story where the Kal-El Superman is a black man, but the story would have to pull a Watchmen and really lean in on the social commentary on how America (or the world) would react to a black Superman. Heck, have him fight the KKK like the comic Superman Smashes the Klan. It’s basically the same concept as the Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix.
For now, we don’t know how far WB has gone with the project, but if they decide to push through, I’m hoping there’s some meaningful take on the character rather than just a regular Superman story where everyone just acts like there isn’t a difference between a black or white Superman.
