Static Shock has been a beloved character for decades, and supporters of Milestone are still waiting for Warner Bros to believe in Virgil Hawkins enough to... finally... bring him to the big screen. There was a time when the stars were aligning by way of a joint production between Warner Bros & (Michael B. Jordan's production company) Outlier Society, but we haven't seen anything as far as In Development/Pre-Production. Outlier Society's pending product "The Greatest" begins shooting several days into... January 2024. When it comes to information from the FTIA, Static Shock is nowhere to be found, and the biggest news DC-related are previous movies coming to Netflix on December 1st. Been there... done that! What's new?
Static Shock isn't part of the traditional DC Universe, he's from Milestone... now it's time for a new milestone by way of a live-action film. The character has a unique backstory and powers that would make for an exciting and fresh addition to the superhero film genre. Having another Black superhero in a major motion picture would be a welcomed addition, not only because the world won't end if there are more than 1 or 2 in their own feature film... but because the audience is there. An audience that consists of people from various backgrounds and communities, but also the Black community's superhero fans, comic book lovers,
cosplayers, gamers, and so on who want the variety.
Black Panther was amazing, and we can't overlook the love Miles Morales gets by way of his animated films (stay tuned for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse"). Oh yeah... wait... wait... wait... I can't forget about Blade. You know the katana-wielding vampire hunter with the strength of the bloodsuckers with none of their weaknesses beyond that shared thirst? Yeah him, the character that pulled Marvel out of the clutches of ruin. Speaking of ruin, they'd better not screw up this new Blade film. Wesley Snipes would've been the first person I called to help shape it into the film that audiences love (and October would be the month I'd release it in theaters). That would make sense to me, not this weird desire to hire people who seemingly run multi-million dollar projects into the ground, but... I digress.
Warner Bros has solid examples of why this would likely win, and if I were them I'd strike while Marvel is scrambling to get it together. As long as the script makes sense.
While it's understandable that studios may be hesitant to take risks on lesser-known characters, I believe that Static Shock could do better than... Shazam! Audiences are open to new and diverse stories. Static Shock has a built-in fan base from the animated series that aired in the early 2000s and the comic books.
They could literally start Static off in school, and give him room to grow into an adult with abilities that electrify audiences. This can be done over time. Make two films, let it breathe, and then come back. Rinse and repeat.
In short, Warner Bros would be making a huge mistake by denying Static Shock a chance at a motion picture release (in my opinion). It's time to give this character the recognition and platform he deserves and see what kind of impact he can make on the superhero film landscape.
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