Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav shelved a planned Superman feature written by author Ta-Nehisi Coates because he considered the project “too woke,” The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. Coates’ screenplay, commissioned in 2021, would have re-imagined Superman as a Black hero during the U.S. civil-rights era. The film was being developed under producer J.J. Abrams shortly before Zaslav assumed control of the merged company in April 2022. The Journal said Zaslav also explored other rescue plans for the faltering DC franchise. In 2022 he held talks with actor and producer Dwayne Johnson about a broader creative role after Johnson’s film “Black Adam” premiered, but discussions ended when the movie underperformed at the box office. Earlier efforts included a 2017 approach to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about running DC, and the studio once weighed a television series about Robin set in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” universe, a proposal Nolan successfully opposed.