William Jackson Harper on comic book role: 'I'm interested in those worlds'
The star of new series The Resort has been backed to play Superman and the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards.
William Jackson Harper has addressed fan campaigns to have him cast as a Marvel or DC superhero, saying he's "interested" in portraying a comic book character.
Harper – best known for his role in The Good Place and now starring in the darkly comic mystery series The Resort – has been the subject of a good deal of fan discussion, with comic book aficionados suggesting he'd be ideal casting as either Clark Kent / Superman or The Fantastic Four's Reed Richards.
"It's flattering," he told RadioTimes.com. "You know, it's like, I definitely don't get my hopes up, but it is nice to be in people's minds in that way. Because I'm such a fan of that genre.
"It's something I'd always like to [explore]. I'm always interested in playing in those worlds."
Last year, it was reported that Warner Bros were developing a new Superman movie with JJ Abrams and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, designed for a Black lead actor.
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Marvel's Fantastic Four movie, meanwhile, is set for release on 8th November 2024. John Krasinski played the team's leader Reed Richards in this year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but since this version of the character was a multiverse variant, it's unclear if he'll be reprising the role for the FF's own film.
Though not currently an avid comic book reader himself, Harper revealed that he was a fan in his youth and rediscovered many of his favourite characters through recent big-screen outings.
"I went through a phase in, like, middle school, and early high school where I did read some – then I sort of fell off of it and haven't really gone back to reading them," he explained. "But I do love the Marvel movies – any sort of superhero movie I love. I'm just a sucker for it. I am the target audience and a huge fan."
In fact, Harper has even picked out a comic book character he'd most like to play – and it's not a hero from either the Marvel or DC folds.
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Instead, he's interested in portraying ShadowHawk, an antihero from publisher Image Comics who debuted in 1992. "I remember reading Shadowhawk and the thing that hooked me was, in the the first issue that I read, there was another vigilante that was running around the streets and was targeting Black people.
"The guy was a white supremacist, you know? They had a showdown and I was like, 'This is a really cool comic, where you have a Black superhero who is facing down racism.' That was such an interesting element to just bring right in. It was really, really dark, and the character was dealing with a lot of his own stuff.
"I know it's sort of a left field choice, but it was just so brutal, and so vibrant, and so angry, and it was something that I really connected to."
Harper's newest project is The Resort, in which he plays one half of a married couple who visit a holiday resort in the Mayan Riviera and uncover a missing persons case from 15 years before, beginning the unravelling of a bizarre mystery.
The first three episodes of The Resort are available 29th July on Peacock exclusively on Sky and NOW, with new episodes dropping weekly – sign up for Sky TV here. For more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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