Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Man of Tomorrow

  • James Gunn Confirms ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Villain, Announces German Actor Landed the Role

    James Gunn Confirms ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Villain, Announces German Actor Landed the Role

    After a month of rumors in which Claes Bang, Matt Smith and Dave Bautista were all alleged front runners for the role of Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn–who recently took to social media to shoot down those rumors–announced the actor who will bring the antagonist to the screen.

    In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.

    -James Gunn

    Man of Tomorrow is “a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.“ After months of playing coy, Gunn has finally confirmed that Brainiac will be that threat.

    In the comics, Brainiac’s primary motivation is generally a cold, unquenchable thirst for absolute knowledge and self-improvement—which involves collecting and destroying civilizations; however, modern writers have created a more sadistic version of the character, will to torture and experiment on his enemies–or even his own clones in the Absolute Universe–and employ psychological tactics that are more calculated cruelty than logic.

    Gunn previously revealed that the villain “was considered” for Superman and with Supergirl hitting theaters in 2026, it wouldn’t take much to give some background to Brainiac’s fascination with Kryptonions and reveal that he visited Krypton before it was destroyed and shrunk and stole the capital city of Kandor.

  • James Gunn Shoots Down Major ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Report

    James Gunn Shoots Down Major ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Report

    For some time now, James Gunn‘s social media presence can be interpreted as a barometer for the DC Studios’ rumor mill. Gunn’s responses to rumors and reports often create a clearer picture of what fans can expect from upcoming projects and, interestingly enough, what he doesn’t respond to is equally interesting.

    For example, when recent reports seemed to indicate that Wonder Woman might make her all-new, all-different DCU debut in Gunn‘s next film, Man of Tomorrow, the DC Studios’ co-chair remained tight-lipped, even as the buzz intensified. Does that mean Diana will join the battle against Brainiac in the Superman sequel? Or is Brainiac even in the film?

    While Gunn has yet to confirm that the Coluan Collector of Worlds will indeed be the villain of Man of Tomorrow, recent trade reports have indicated that Brainiac will be the catalyst behind Kal-El’s team up with Lex Luthor. Following those reports, rumblings about casting for the role have begun to pop up, with Claes Bang and Matt Smith reportedly among those up for the role. More recently, Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista was mentioned as a favorite to ultimately portray Brainiac but it seems as though that’s not going to be the case.

    Shortly after Bautista’s name was thrown out by Jeff Sneider as a to contender for the sadistic supervillain, Gunn took to Threads to shoot down the report.

    Oh boy. Let’s forget a moment, I’ve never said Brainiac was in the movie. I freaking love [Dave Bautista] [and] I have many ideas for who he could play in the DCU. But he [and] I have never discussed a role in Man of Tomorrow, nor have we discussed it amongst ourselves at DC.

    -James Gunn

    Gunn‘s statement left little room for interpretation, directly addressing the actor and the role. Bautista may not have been the best fit for the role anyway but Gunn went on to explain that none of the “6-7” other names associated for the role have been screentested or offered a part in Man of Tomorrow.

  • Talented Trio Tops Reported Shortlist to Tackle Techno-Organic Terror in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    Talented Trio Tops Reported Shortlist to Tackle Techno-Organic Terror in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    After months of speculation and teasing, confirmation finally came down the pipe that the sadistic supervillain Brainiac would indeed make his theatrical debut in the Superman not-really-but-also-kind-of-sequel Man of Tomorrow.

    The Coluan Collector of Worlds will serve as the “bigger threat” that catalyzes the team up between David Corenswet‘s Kal-El and Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor, which director James Gunn has described as a “complicated” scenario.

    With principal photography on Man of Tomorrow set to get underway in April, casting for the film has begun, including the search for an actress to play a character believed to be Wonder Woman and an actor willing to disappear behind prosthetics to bring Brainiac to life. In mid-November, Dracula star Claes Bang reportedly read for the role and now, a follow-up report claims that a pair of actors have joined Bang on the shortlist to land the role of Brainiac.

    According to Nexus Point News, Doctor Who star Matt Smith and Academy Award-Winning actor Sam Rockwell have joined Bang on the shortlist to play the supervillain.

    The report makes it clear that no offers have been made at this point and that ultimately, a cash-conscious approach by parent studio Warner Bros. may constrain Gunn‘s casting reach.

    Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

    Source: NPN

  • James Gunn Shuts Down Major DC Studios Casting Rumor

    James Gunn Shuts Down Major DC Studios Casting Rumor

    James Gunn loves social media. Whether teasing his next projects or shooting nearly every false rumor to hell, the DC Studios’ co-chair’s impressive omnipresence feels reminiscent of one who observed the universe from a Mobius Chair. And something new has caught his eye.

    A recent casting call for a new, male actor in Gunn’s next theatrical project, Man of Tomorrow, somehow quickly evolved into rumors that Steve Trevor was set to join the cast of characters of the Superman sequel.

    Despite the complete lack of evidence AND cautionary rhetoric from some established rumor mongers and proven sources, the Trevor buzz took hold and, eventually, came to the attention of Gunn, who quickly took control of the situation with a single “nope.”

    With Trevor off the board, all fans can do is hope that somewhere in the depths of DC Comics’ vast stable of characters, Gunn has located one who can be a male. Though the odds may seem stacked against him, don’t count Gunn out just yet!

  • Additional ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Info Intensifies Wonder Woman Buzz

    Additional ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Info Intensifies Wonder Woman Buzz

    On the heels of a report that DC Studios was searching for a character believed to be Wonder Woman for a key role in Man of Tomorrow, a second report has surfaced containing additional details about the role.

    Following the initial report by insider Daniel Richtman, Nexus Point News has come through with some new information that certainly makes the new character sound like Wonder Woman. Take a quick look at a breakdown of the key points:

    • Late 20s
    • Has “an edge to her”
    • Height requirement/taller actresses
    • Strong physique
    • Character is a warrior

    As NPN pointed out, though the description does lend itself to Diana, there are indeed other tall, female warriors that could be pulled from the deep DC Comics roster. However, with a Wonder Woman film on the way, having the character appear in Man of Tomorrow does seems relatively sensible.

    Source: Nexus Point News

  • New Casting Information for ‘Man of Tomorrow’ May Point to Another of DC’s Trinity Joining the Battle Against Brainiac

    New Casting Information for ‘Man of Tomorrow’ May Point to Another of DC’s Trinity Joining the Battle Against Brainiac

    After months of speculation that the sadistic supervillain Brainiac would finally make his big screen debut in DC Studios Man of Tomorrow, a trade report confirmed the Coluan Collector of Worlds would indeed serve as the catalyst bringing Superman and Lex Luthor together. With Hawkgirl confirmed to return and other heroes such as Supergirl and John Stewart also believed to be joining the fray, plenty of Superfriends will be on hand to assist in the battle against Brainiac. However, new casting information has fans believing another hero might be set to appear as well and if speculation is correct, it’s one of DC’s heaviest hitters.

    …a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.

    -James Gunn on Man of Tomorrow
    Following a report from insider Daniel Richtman that DC Studios is searching for an actress in her 20s for a major role in Man of Tomorrow, speculation is growing that Wonder Woman will make her DCU debut in the film.

    It’s important to note that Richtman’s report doesn’t provide anywhere near enough information to determine that the female character will be Wonder Woman. However, with DC Studios co-chair James Gunn recently saying that the character was crucial to the success of the fledgling shared universe and that a script for a new Wonder Woman project by Ana Nogueria was in the works, it’s not the worst guess.

    With principal photography on Man of Tomorrow set to kick off in April, casting is certainly underway, so if the character is indeed Wonder Woman, expect trades to get on the case soon and try to figure out what actresses are in the mix for the role.

  • New Report Confirms Sadistic ‘Superman’ Sequel Supervillain; Rumored Front-runner Emerges

    New Report Confirms Sadistic ‘Superman’ Sequel Supervillain; Rumored Front-runner Emerges

    Following the successful launch of Superman, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav teased “an ambitious, 10-year plan of interconnected sequels and spinoffs,” which included the “next movie in the Super-Family,” set to be directed by James Gunn. Gunn then spent the next few weeks teasing the next installment in his Superman Saga which was ultimately revealed to be a Superman and Lex Luthor team-up film titled Man of Tomorrow.

    In between Zaslav’s tease and the announcement of Man of Tomorrow, fans discovered an unused storyboard from Superman in the behind-the-scenes featurette, Adventures in the  Making of Superman,which they believed revealed the villain of the 2027 Superman sequel. The storyboard features Superman, Supergirl and Krypto flying but a closer look at the bottom corner reveals the head of one of the House of El’s greatest enemies: Brainiac. Gunn further teased the classic Superman villain by releasing a photo of the script for Man of Tomorrow with a brain front and center on the cover page, but stopped short of confirming his inclusion. Now, a trade report seems to have taken care of that.

    According to The Wrap, Brainiac will indeed be the catalyst that causes Superman and Lex Luthor, complete in his Warsuit, to join forces in Man of Tomorrow.

    Gunn previously revealed that the villain “was considered” for Superman and with Supergirl hitting theaters in 2026, it wouldn’t take much to give some background to Brainiac’s fascination with Kryptonions and reveal that he visited Krypton before it was destroyed and shrunk and stole the capital city of Kandor.

    In the comics, Brainiac’s primary motivation is generally a cold, unquenchable thirst for absolute knowledge and self-improvement—which involves collecting and destroying civilizations; however, modern writers have created a more sadistic version of the character, will to torture and experiment on his enemies–or even his own clones in the Absolute Universe–and employ psychological tactics that are more calculated cruelty than logic.

    Following the news, social media scoopers collaborated to indicate that Claes Bang, who played the title role in Netflix’s Dracula, has already rested for the role. However, tests are ongoing and given Gunn’s previous work with DC Studios, will involve multiple rounds of testing, including reading with leads David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult.

    Source: The Wrap

  • James Gunn Addresses the Future of ‘Peacemaker’ and Its Cast Following Major Season 2 Cliffhanger

    James Gunn Addresses the Future of ‘Peacemaker’ and Its Cast Following Major Season 2 Cliffhanger

    According to James Gunn, the events of last night’s Peacemaker Season 2 finale will have major repercussions for the DCU’s ongoing narrative…just not for the next season of Peacemaker.

    The finale ended Rick Flag Sr. getting uns revenge for for the death of his son at the hands of Peacemaker. After starting a new organization, Checkmate, with the 11th Street Kids and a couple of new friends, John Cena‘s Chris Smith was stranded by Flag on a planet called “Salvation.” In an interview with Deadline, Gunn explained that while both Checkmate and Salvation are “two important aspects” of the DCU’s future even though they won’t be explored in a third season of Peacemaker.

    “Well, those are the two things that were always a part of this season,” said Gunn of the intriguing new planet and the anti-A.R.G.U.S. startup. “So when we sat down, even before I sat down with the writers room in DC, I had sort of mapped out what I thought the general story was, and two important aspects to that were Checkmate and especially Salvation, so those were things that I had pitched to everybody before we ever came into DC and then after we came into DC and we met with the writers room and worked things out a little bit more. That was always pretty instrumental in the overall, overarching story that I’m telling in the DCU, but also connected to it as well.”

    Despite being introduced in Peacemaker, the next steps for both Checkmate and Salvation won’t be explored in a third season of the streaming series because, according to Gunn, he has no current plans for additional seasons. “This is about the wider DCU and other stories in which this will play out right now,” said Gunn. “That doesn’t mean that there won’t be [a third season of Peacemaker]. I don’t want to never say never, but right now, no, this is about the future of the DCU. It’s an important character.”

    Gunn maintains that Peacemaker will remain an important character in the DCU and indicated that Checkmate will be “a part of what’s going to happen” in the growing shared universe. Given that Gunn previously stated the streaming series serves as a prequel to his next project, the 2027 film Man of Tomorrow, it seems as though fans can count on the characters to return, though for now the DC Studios’ co-chair chose to remain quiet in that front, calling that information a “secret.”

    Source: Deadline

  • How the  Pivotal ‘Peacemaker’ Cameo Shapes the Future of the DCU

    How the  Pivotal ‘Peacemaker’ Cameo Shapes the Future of the DCU

    Despite the growing exasperation surrounding the interconnected nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn has gone balls-deep into a shared narrative in the first year of the all-new, all-different DC Universe.

    Before the DCU began in earnest with Creature Commandos, Gunn confusingly canonized a pair of his own pre-DCU projects, Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad. For good measure, the DC boss then retconned the Justice League out of the first season of Peacemaker, replacing them with the Justice Gang + 2 and establishing a timeline for the young universe that places the events of Superman squarely between the first and second seasons of the HBO Max streaming series. And he’s accomplished all that while telling you that you don’t have to watch any one project in order to understand the shared narrative…

    While it’s becoming clear that last bit probably won’t hold 100% true, so far it hasn’t presented a problem because through three DC Studios projects, Gunn has not missed and the connectivity has been minimal…until the most recent chapter of Season 2 of Peacemaker.

    In what was likely one of the heaviest cameos ever in the superhero genre, “Ignorance is Chris” featured an appearance by Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor. Fresh off his thrashing at the mouth of Krypto, Luthor, aided by a cane, limped his way to a meeting with Rick Flag Sr. at Belle Reve, where the former finds himself serving a 265-year sentence for all his naughty tricks. In the moment–and especially because Gunn has teased that this season of Peacemaker serves as a prequel to Man of Tomorrow–the cameo felt weighty; however, according to Gunn, it is nothing less than a pivotal moment for the young DCU.

    While discussing the cameo–which was filmed during production in Superman–on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, Gunn called the meeting between Luthor and Flag “a really important moment for ..the entire DCU.”

    So, we have a really important moment, for not only Peacemaker but the entire DCU. Rick Flag, the Head of A.R.G.U.S., strikes a deal basically with Lex Luthor in exchange for [him] finding where Peacemaker’s portal might be. He is going to move him from a prison with metahumans to a prison with no metahumans. From Belle Reve, where they are now, to Van Kull, both prisons from the comics.

    -James Gunn on Lex Luthor’s appearance in Peacemaker Season 2

    And so, in the words of one of the only people in the world with an idea of where the DCU is headed, a cameo made in a streaming series is a fulcrum for what’s to come. Of course, pragmatically speaking, general audiences won’t know the difference between Belle Reve and Van Kull nor will they really remember Flag even appeared in Superman. In that sense, Gunn isn’t really playing with fire and is staying true to his promise not to include cameos for the hell of it. Still, it’s a bold move to include world-altering events in a TV-MA streaming series that’s not supposed to be necessary viewing.

    With two episodes left in the current season of Peacemaker, ample time remains for a little more context to be added to just exactly what Flag’s deal with Luthor will mean but it’s hard to imagine Luthor being outmaneuvered by Flag, especially since the latter continued to devolve into a blunt instrument in each episode. Moving Luthor to Van Kull–which is located in Metropolis in DC Comics continuity–brings the evil genius right back to his home turf in time for whatever plans Gunn has for him next.

    Source: Peacemaker: The Official Podcast with James Gunn

  • James Gunn Teases the Futures of Two DCU Villains

    James Gunn Teases the Futures of Two DCU Villains

    While Superman focused mainly on fleshing out the all-new, all-different DCU’s Metropolis and its cast of characters, the film’s opening text established a world in which metahumans have been a known quantity for 300 years. That allowed for plenty of room to introduce heroes and villains in the film without necessarily having to spend too much time on their origins, something director James Gunn took full advantage of in having the Engineer and Ultraman join Lex Luthor in taking on Superman.

    Even though Maria Gabrielle de Faria’s Engineer didn’t land with audiences as much as Gunn had hoped, she was a key part of Luthor’s team, so with Superman’s arch enemy set to return in Man of Tomorrow, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that Gunn has plans for the Engineer as well.

    As confirmed by Gunn from comments made in the Superman Director’s Commentary, de Faria will return in Man of Tomorrow where fans will learn what happened to the villain after she went toe-to-toe with Kal-El and lost.

    “She’s out of the movie,” said Gunn of the character in reference to her not returning to the story after being knocked unconscious by Superman. “Where does she go? Well, you’re going to find that out in the next movie.”

    That sounds a bit like PlanetWatch may end up getting involved in…watching the planet…when Brainiac attacks, which is a reasonable way of having Lex and Superman team up in Man of Tomorrow. However, the Engineer wasn’t the only other villain in Superman.

    During production, word leaked that Superman would feature some sort of evil doppelgänger of the Man of Steel, also played by David Corenswet. That, of course, turned out to be the DCU’s Ultraman, who has a markedly different origin story from his DC Comics counterpart…but as Gunn teased, his story may not be over either and the next chapter may take him to his comic book home.

    “We discover that Ultraman is a clone of Superman. [In the comics], Ultraman is from Earth-3, where he’s a part of The Crime Syndicate and an evil version of Superman. There are some similarities here,” said Gunn. “Also, you might ask yourself, ‘Where does Ultraman go at the end of the movie?’ He sends him up into the black hole. Is this the end of Ultraman? I don’t know.”

    While obviously more opaque than the plans for the Engineer, it does sound as though while Ultraman’s fate might be unknown to the audience, it’s a little more defined in Gunn’s mind.

    Could Gunn be hinting at a Crisis on Two Earths-type film as part of his Superman Saga? It’s certainly not one on many fans’ bingo cards and would be incredibly ambitious; however, if executed properly, it would also likely stand as a giant among comic-booky comic book films.