Coates to write ‘Superman’ film
Ta-Nehisi Coates, the acclaimed essayist and novelist who expanded the world of Wakanda for Marvel comics, will write the script for a new “Superman” film from Warner Bros.
The studio announced Friday that Coates will pen the screenplay for an upcoming “Superman” film that’s early in development. J.J. Abrams will produce. No director or star has yet been announced.
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC
Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates said in a statement. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”
Coates is best known as the author of bestsellers including “Between the World and Me,” “The Beautiful Struggle” and “We Were Eight Years in Power.” Since 2016, he has also penned the Black Panther comics for Marvel with artist Brian Stelfreeze — a run set to conclude with a final issue in April. He was thanked in the credits of Ryan Coogler’s 2018 film “Black Panther.”
“Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘Between the World and Me’ opened a window and changed the way many of us see the world,” said Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “We’re confident that his take on Superman will give fans a new and exciting way to see the Man of Steel.”
The news was first reported by Shadow and Act.
“There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told,” Abrams said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen.”
Warner Bros.’ animated family film “Tom and Jerry” debuted to $13.7 million at the domestic box office, one of the biggest opening weekend hauls of the coronavirus era and a signal that moviegoing may be on the mend.
To be sure, it’ll take some time for ticket sales to reach pre-pandemic levels. But second to “Wonder Woman 1984,” which launched in December with $16.7 million, “Tom and Jerry” had the most robust three-day total since movie theaters reopened in the middle of last year. Nothing else that has been released in the past 10 months has been able to crack the
$10 million mark; “The Croods: A New Age” ($9.7 million) and “Tenet” ($9.35 million) were the only others to come close to that benchmark.
Notably, “Tom and Jerry” also premiered on the HBO Max streaming service, where it will be available to subscribers for 31 days. Beginning with the “Wonder Woman” sequel, Warner Bros. has set 18 movies to bow simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the pandemic.
Overseas, the $79
million-budgeted film about the iconic cat and mouse rivalry has made $25 million from 33 countries for a global tally of $38.8 million.
‘Coronation Street’ star dies:
Johnny Briggs, a British actor best known for his role as businessman Mike Baldwin in the long-running TV soap opera “Coronation Street,” has died. He was 85.
A family statement said Briggs died peacefully Sunday morning after a long illness.
Briggs was a fixture on “Coronation Street,” playing his role for 30 years. Baldwin, a Cockney clothing factory boss, became one of the show’s most memorable characters. Briggs made his debut as Baldwin in 1976 and remained until 2006. Around 12 million viewers tuned in when his character died of a heart attack.
Singer-actor Harry Belafonte is 94. Singer Roger Daltrey is 77. Actor-director Ron Howard is 67. Actor Catherine Bach is 66. Actor George Eads is 54. Actor Javier Bardem is 53. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 47. Actor Lupita Nyong’o is 38. Singer Justin Bieber is 27.
March 1 birthdays: