Michael B. Jordan is heading back into the comic universe and according to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter the actor will be producing Warner Bros. and DC Comic’s film Static Shock which is based on the DC and Milestone Comics character Static.
The star, who starred as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 2015’s Fantastic Four, will join filmmaker Reginald Hudlin on the project.
“I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around black superheroes; our community deserves that,” Jordan told THR. “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around Black superheroes; our community deserves that.”
Static otherwise known as Virgil Hawkins, was created in the 1990s by Milestone Media and DC Comic. The character is a teenager turned superhero with electromagnetic powers.
A “Static Shock” animated series aired on Kids’ WB in the early 2000s and was one of the few superhero series starring a Black character.
Michael B. Jordan shared the news on his Instagram and Twitter about the film featuring the Static comic book cover and captioned the picture with a lightning bolt and winky-face emoji.
According to People Magazine, the project was first floated during the DC FanDome event in August.
Phil LaMarr, the original voice of Static, revealed how important it was to promote a character like Static, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“Virgil is what I always wanted as a comic book kid growing up: Black Spider-Man. A good story can make you live it, feel it, and when it does, it resonates on a whole other level,” he explained.
LaMarr added, “It touched on archetypes as a comic fan that I loved, but also touched on my life as a Black man in the real world.”
Jordan isn’t new to the world of animation, early last year he shared that he was a Nime fan and was the voice of the character for Gen Lock.
“Way too excited to show you guys the final trailer for #genLock all my real followers/fans know how much I’m an Anime fan and this show fulfilled one of my life-long dreams of voicing a character on an animated show. Jan 26th it’s going to get crazy on @roosterteeth”
It will be interesting to see what Michael has in store with Static Shock. Read more details about the announcement here.
