Darnell Metayer And Josh Peters To Pen ‘Val-Zod’ Script For HBO Max
by Erik Amaya
Val-Zod is headed for HBO Max.
Deadline reports Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters will write the script, based on the Earth-2 character of the same name. Created by Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott, and Robson Rocha, Val was orphaned after his parents’ execution on Krypton. He was one of handful of children to escape the planet’s destruction. On his journey through space, recorded messages from his parents counseled him toward pacifism. Trained by Lois Lane when he eventually made it Earth, Val also suffered from agoraphobia thanks to his time in the space capsule.
Back in July, word broke indicating Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society was looking to develop Val-Zod into a standalone Superman film separate from the “Black Superman” project from J.J. Abrams, which is being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and will feature a Black actor as Clark Kent. It was also unclear if Jordan’s project would be a theatrical release or one of the DC Entertainment works targeted for HBO Max.
With writer and distribution channel set, finding a director and casting the project will happen next; with Jordan still potentially in the frame to star. Considering HBO Max already has two DC films slated for next year, Val-Zod will likely be a 2023 release at the earliest.
