James Gunn has officially called it a wrap on Man of Tomorrow, and if the behind-the-scenes photos are any indication, Nicholas Hoult celebrated by jumping into a lake. That’s the energy we’re dealing with here. Man of Tomorrow isn’t just another superhero sequel. It’s a movie where Superman is forced to team up with his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor to take down an even bigger threat, and somehow that still feels like the least wild thing about this production.
The plot puts David Corenswet’s Superman in an impossible position. Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger, is coming for Earth with his super-intelligent android brain and presumably a very large spaceship. Instead of handling this alone like he usually does, Superman has to ask Lex Luthor for help. Let that sink in. The same Lex Luthor who spent the last movie trying to ruin his life is now his only hope. Man of Tomorrow is billing itself as “as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie,” which means we’re getting a full partnership between the guy who stands for truth and justice and the guy who owns more real estate than God.
The returning cast is stacked. Rachel Brosnahan is back as Lois Lane, Milly Alcock returns as Supergirl after her solo movie this summer, and Aaron Pierre debuts as John Stewart. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific are all reprising their roles. Xolo Maridueña is even coming back as Blue Beetle to officially reintroduce him into the DCU. It’s basically a team-up movie disguised as a Superman sequel, and Gunn seems to be treating it like the centerpiece of his entire cinematic universe.
What makes Man of Tomorrow genuinely intriguing is the Luthor angle. Hoult’s performance in the first Superman was already a highlight, and giving him equal billing with the hero is a bold swing that most franchises wouldn’t attempt. The idea that these two have to work together while absolutely hating each other is pure dramatic fuel. Gunn has a gift for making dysfunctional partnerships entertaining, and this might be his most dysfunctional one yet.
Filming took place across Atlanta, Cincinnati, and the United Kingdom, with a working title of Exodus that probably confused a lot of location scouts. Gunn described the experience as “truly joyful,” which is notable because directing a movie of this scale usually breaks people. The fact that he’s posting cheerful updates instead of exhausted rants suggests either that everything went smoothly or that he’s very good at hiding his stress. Either way, the footage can’t come soon enough.
Man of Tomorrow is scheduled for July 9, 2027, which feels like an eternity but gives Gunn plenty of time to make this thing sing. If the first Superman was about establishing the character, this one is about breaking him. Forcing Superman to rely on the worst person he knows is a fascinating way to raise the stakes, and Man of Tomorrow looks ready to deliver exactly the kind of character-driven blockbuster that makes you forget about the CGI. Sometimes the best special effect is watching two enemies pretend they don’t want to kill each other.
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