James Gunn Reveals ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Set Image Teasing Brainiac

by

Filming for Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to the upcoming Superman movie, has officially started! DC Studios is quickly moving forward with the project, bringing back David Corenswet as Superman for another adventure. This time, he’ll be facing the villain Brainiac (played by Lars Eidinger) and teaming up with Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

James Gunn has begun filming Man of Tomorrow, and the first photo from the set hints at the appearance of Brainiac. The image shows a chessboard with pieces arranged as if a game is in progress, along with a visitor’s pass identifying ‘Luthor, A.’ and the Van Kull Department of Corrections. This prison, first appearing in DC Comics in 2002, is located in Metropolis. While Lex Luthor was previously imprisoned at Belle Reeve, he recently secured a transfer to Van Kull following events in Peacemaker Season 2 and his collaboration with Rick Flagg Sr., seemingly for more lenient conditions.

The photo gives us a sneak peek at the logo for Man of Tomorrow, which combines the classic Superman “S” shield with three dots representing Brainiac. The logo was spotted on a film slate in the background, and Superman Saga News shared a close-up view. You can see the logo and James Gunn’s original post below.

The chessboard is a compelling visual element. It’s often used in movies, like the X-Men films with Professor X and Magneto, to represent a clash of minds and beliefs. In Man of Tomorrow, it could hint at something important within the DC Universe. Peacemaker Season 2 introduced Lex Luthor (played by Hoult) and concluded with the Peacemaker team establishing their own secret organization called Checkmate. Created by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Erwin, Checkmate first appeared in Action Comics #598 in 1988 and, within the DC Comics world, its structure is based on the different pieces used in chess.

It’s still unknown how the DCU’s Checkmate organization will compare to the version in the comics, but recent developments—specifically, Lex Luthor’s storyline in Peacemaker Season 2 connecting to Man of Tomorrow—suggest we might see a power struggle between Superman and Lex Luthor, and the introduction of Checkmate. This also implies that the “Salvation” storyline from Peacemaker Season 2, intended as a major plot thread throughout the first chapter of the DCU, could play a role in Man of Tomorrow. Frank Grillo will return as Rick Flag Sr., and his willingness to imprison metahumans in another dimension could lead to conflict with Superman.

The upcoming film, Man of Tomorrow, will feature a surprising alliance: Superman and his longtime enemy, Lex Luthor, joining forces against the alien villain Brainiac. Rachel Brosnahan will reprise her role as Lois Lane, and the cast also includes Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl, Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern (from the Lanterns series), María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, and Adria Arjona as Maxima. James Gunn is writing and directing the movie, which is scheduled for release in theaters on July 9, 2027.

Read More

2026-04-20 23:11