Draft:Untitled Val-Zod series

The untitled Val-Zod series is an upcoming American television miniseries created by Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters for the streaming service Max, based on the DC Comics character Val-Zod. The series is being produced by Outlier Society, Warner Bros. Television Studios, and DC Studios.

After choosing not to star in a film about a Black version of Kal-El / Superman, Michael B. Jordan began developing a limited series focused on a different version of the character, Val-Zod. Metayer and Peters joined by the end of July 2021.

The series will be released on Max.

Cast and characters

 * Val-Zod / Superman

Development
Warner Bros. Pictures was unsure which direction to take the character of Superman by November 2019, and was talking to "lots of high-profile talent" about the property, including Michael B. Jordan, who pitched himself as a Black version of the character, and producer J. J. Abrams. In February 2021, Ta-Nehisi Coates was revealed to be writing a new Superman film for Abrams. It was expected to feature a Black actor as Superman, with potential for Jordan to take on the role, but he said in April that he would not be signing on. In July, Jordan's reasoning for distancing himself from the film was reported to be due to the decision to have a Black actor play the original, white version of the character, Kal-El, rather than introduce a different Superman character that is already portrayed as Black in the comics such as Calvin Ellis or Val-Zod. This was seen by some as racebending a white character while "erasing" existing Black characters, a conversation that Jordan did not want to engage in. Instead, he began developing a limited series for HBO Max with his company Outlier Society that would focus on Val-Zod. Writers were hired for the project by the end of July, with Jordan potentially starring in the series and executive producing alongside Elizabeth Raposo. Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters were revealed in October to be the writers, along with Warner Bros. Television Studios and DC Entertainment also producing. In November 2022, DC Studios was formed to develop all DC Comics-based films and television series.

Release
The series will be released on Max, the successor to HBO Max.