STATIC SHOCK Movie Is on Hold, James Gunn Explains ‘Complexities’ Behind Why_1 DC Comics/Milestone

STATIC SHOCK Movie Is on Hold, James Gunn Explains ‘Complexities’ Behind Why

Originally posted on Nerdist | By Eric Diaz | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 12:22 PM ET

One of the many announcements at the 2020 DC FanDome (remember those?) was news of a Static Shock movie coming from producer Michael B. Jordan, based on the electric-powered African American teen hero, Virgil Hawkins. Since then, DC has gone through several permutations, and is now DC Studios, run by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Although many project announcements have been made since the new studio formed, Static Shock was not one of them. While doing press for Superman, Gunn was specifically asked about the Static Shock movie’s status, and he didn’t have good news.

Here’s what he told Pay or Wait, via Collider, about what was happening with Static Shock and his movie:

No updates on Static Shock. There’s a whole bunch of complexities behind that character right now so I don’t have good news for you on Static Shock.

So what is the exact holdup? Static Shock is more well-known than many DC properties getting movies and shows, and carried an animated series for four seasons on TV. Unfortunately, there is a metric ton of legal red tape when it comes to Static. The character was originally part of Milestone Comics, a separate imprint created by several prominent African American creators in 1993. Among the other comics were Icon and Hardware. Although they initially sold well, Milestone was a victim of the mid-90s comic book crunch, which saw sales plummet and comic book shops close nationwide.

Eventually, Milestone ceased publishing its comics, and licensed its characters to DC, which originally published the line in 1993. But Milestone still owns the actual IP. In 2000, Static Shock became the star of his own animated series, introducing the character to millions of kids. He even appeared in several episodes of Justice League Unlimited, where his co-creator, Dwayne McDuffie, was a writer/producer. Sadly, McDuffie passed away in 2011. In the years since, Milestone has licensed their characters to DC, allowing for their incorporation into the grander DC Universe. This allowed Static Shock to join the Teen Titans, and other Milestone heroes to appear in Young Justice.

Virgil Hawkins, the lead character of the animated Static Shock series. Warner Bros. Animation

So what’s the legal red tape all about? Well, a few years after McDuffie’s death, creators Denys Cowan, Reginald Hudlin, and Derek Dingle announced a big re-launch of Milestone Media. This led to McDuffie’s widow, Charlotte Fullerton, filing a lawsuit against the Milestone trio for not including McDuffie’s estate in the new plans. And as a result, Static Shock has remained shelved as a property ever since. This is why the Michael B. Jordan Static Shock movie never took off. If a star of his caliber can’t cut through the legal red tape, then it could be years before Static Shock appears on screen or in a DCU movie. And that truly feels like a missed opportunity.

This article first appeared on Nerdist and was syndicated with permission.

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