James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow reaches cinemas on July 9, 2027, and it is further along than many fans realise. Cameras rolled in April 2026, and a first assembly cut of the film already exists, per Techloy.
It follows the biggest superhero film of 2025. Variety notes Superman earned above $600 million worldwide to top that year's superhero releases, so this follow-up carries the whole DC Universe plan on its back.
Key Takeaways
- Release date: July 9, 2027, announced by Gunn in September 2025
- David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult all return
- Lars Eidinger plays Brainiac, the story's bigger threat
- Gunn frames it as the next chapter of a Superman Saga, not a straight sequel
What is confirmed about the story
SlashFilm reports Gunn has confirmed the plot centres on "Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together" against a far larger danger, with Brainiac played by Lars Eidinger. Adria Arjona has also joined the cast in an unannounced role.
Gunn announced the title with Jim Lee artwork of Superman beside Lex in his warsuit, and he has said this is a Lex story as much as a Superman one. JoBlo reported from the start that it is not a traditional sequel but the next piece of what Gunn calls the Superman Saga.
Where production stands
Variety reported filming started in April 2026, with Gunn teasing a set photo of a chess board and a prison badge from Van Kull, where Lex sits in jail. Techloy reports the assembly cut, the first rough version built from the filmed scenes, is complete, and Gunn is already writing his next project while post-production runs.
A July 2027 date with a wrapped shoot is a comfortable schedule by modern blockbuster standards. The visual effects team gets a full run at Brainiac.
Where it fits in the DC Universe
Two DC films land before it: Supergirl on June 26, 2026 and Clayface on September 11, 2026, per JoBlo. Gunn has also said Peacemaker's second season feeds directly into this film's setup.
Hoult's Lex ended Superman defeated and exposed. Opening the new film with him in a cell, then forcing him into an alliance with the man who put him there, is the kind of inversion Gunn's Guardians films were built on.
Your catch-up list before July 2027
- Superman (2025): the start of the Saga and the setup for Lex's fall.
- Peacemaker Season 2: Gunn says it leads into this story.
- Supergirl and Clayface in 2026: the universe between the Superman chapters.
- For comic homework, Brainiac stories are the primer. Gunn has confirmed the villain, not the arc he is adapting.
Plenty is still unknown, including how much of the film belongs to Metropolis and how much leaves Earth entirely.
What is already clear: DC's riskiest bet is no longer whether its new universe works. It is whether a Superman film can turn its greatest enemy into a co-lead and keep both characters honest.
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