Wendell Pierce is your new Perry White in James Gunn’s Superman
Great Caesar's ghost, that's some damn fine casting for James Gunn's upcoming Superman movie
Aux News Perry White
Say what you will about James Gunn, but the man can cast a damn movie: THR reports today that Gunn has selected Wendell Pierce as the new version of tough-as-nails newspaper editor Perry White for his 2025 film Superman. News of the casting comes just a day or so after Gunn announced that he was making a few edits of his own, chopping the Legacy off the film’s previous title.
Pierce is a prolific performer, most recently starring as the voice of wisdom and authority on the John Krasinski adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. But, if we’re being truly honest here, there will always be a part of us who sees him first and foremost as Detective Bunk Moreland, the hard-talking, cigar-chomping, soft-hearted foil to Dominic West’s Jimmy McNulty on HBO’s The Wire. And while we’d never want to box as talented a performer as Pierce in to a single role, it’s not hard to transpose big chunks of Bunk on to the platonic ideal of Daily Planet editor Perry White, a man who traditionally can bawl you out in one moment, and give you the best pep talk in the world the next.
Pierce joins a cast that includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Skyler Gisondo as Planet employees Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan, and Jimmy Olson—one of whom, we’ll go ahead and spoil, turns out to be this Superman character that everyone’s so worked up about these days. Pierce will also co-star alongside Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, and Nicholas Hoult, the latter playing classic Supes badguy Lex Luthor, who has sometimes clashed (or employed) White in the comics. The film, scheduled for 2025, is expected to serve as the formal “full” introduction” to the new DC Universe Gunn and his studio co-head, Peter Safran, have been cooking up for the last few years—with an optimistic eye toward pulling DC out of the superhero slump that it and Marvel have been sinking so lugubriously into of late.
25 Comments
Superwoke
Ha. More morons crying about diversity. What did Perry White’s race have anything to do with his character? You really need a white guy as your editor in chief? Remember when Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s Batman? Did people cry then? No because now you rightwing nutjobs are the biggest lil babies who care that a black man is in your super hero movie.
He was great in Pushing Daisies.
Let that jerk stay in the greys and obligatory.
They’re so busy crying about black men taking all the White (ha!) roles that they forget Lawrence Fishburne played him in Cavill’s Superman movies.
Exactly.
And he wants pictures! Pictures of Superman!
“Bring Wayne in here, I want to see his pictures of Batman.”
He’s already killing it in the new cartoon, so glad he’s getting a chance in live action. He’s a solid pick and he’ll do a solid job.
Will he get paid in crab gut?
Yep, that’s so cool when voice actors get a chance to embody their characters for live-action. I’m not familiar with his work on the cartoon, but he really seems like a solid choice for the part.
This is excellent casting.
That’s some pretty good casting right there.
Pierce is a prolific performer, most recently starring as an embattled NYC police chief leading a department under consent degree being overseen by “Elsbeth”.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuuuuuuck.
You happy now, bitch? (Kidding aside, this is fantastic news.)
Awesome actor. Really excited to see him on-screen.
…and starring Rachel Brosnahan as Herself“Pierce joins a cast that includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Skyler Gisondo as Planet employees Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan, and Jimmy Olson”
“There you go, writing a lifestyle piece when it ain’t your turn.”
When will it ever end? How many superhero movies need to bomb before they get the message?
It’s already hilarious watching the Snyderbros acting like he invented the concept of black people because of this.
I was always hoping for John Amos, but I suppose he’s too old now, but this is great casting.
He retired from the CIA and Jack Ryan’s boss and was hired to be editor in chief of DC’s New York Times?