Man of Tomorrow: everything we know so far about James Gunn's Superman sequel movie (release date, likely cast, plot rumors)

Man of Tomorrow is the next DC Universe (DCU) project that'll be helmed by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn. A follow-up to Gunn's Superman movie, but not a direct sequel per se, it's currently slated to arrive on July 9, 2027.

Its theatrical launch is still a couple of years away, but now's as good a time as any to find out everything we know about Superman 2. Luckily for you, this guide contains the latest information – plus the odd rumor or two – about its potential cast, plot, and more.

Full spoilers follow for 2025's Superman, so proceed with caution if you haven't seen it yet.

Man of Tomorrow release date

As I mentioned above, Man of Tomorrow is set to fly into theaters on July 9, 2027. That means its eventual release will mark two years since this year's Superman flick took flight.

That doesn't give Gunn and company much time to ensure the new DCU movie meets its release date. Realistically, principal photography will have to begin in early 2026 to ensure its launch isn't delayed.

Thankfully, Gunn has already completed work on the first screenplay (per his Threads account) and is now refining the script. In the meantime, the movie's sizable crew should be able to begin pre-production work so the cameras can start rolling ASAP.

Man of Tomorrow trailer: is there one?

Nope, and it'll be a while before a teaser is with us.

Sure, Superman's first trailer debuted online in December 2024 – i.e., seven months before it landed in theaters – so it's possible we could see Man of Tomorrow's first footage in late 2026. Nonetheless, I'd be amazed if we see any footage for this film (which isn't called Superman: Man of Tomorrow, per Gunn on Threads) before the start of 2027.

Man of Tomorrow likely cast

Potential spoilers follow for Man of Tomorrow.

Man of Tomorrow's official cast hasn't been announced yet. However, there are three actors from Superman who, based on their social media activity around the sequel's announcement, I'd expect to see in it:

• David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman
• Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
• Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl

Like Gunn, Corenswet and Hoult took to social media on September 3 to reveal the DCU Chapter One movie's name and launch date. With Supes and Luthor taking center stage in artwork created by various DC comic book artists to help with the reveal (see the Instagram images above and below for confirmation), it's inevitable that these two actors will be involved.

Where Merced is concerned, she shared Gunn's post on her Instagram Story (thanks to Reddit for the screenshot) alongside the caption "see you sooon [sic]". That heavily implies she'll be part of the cast, too.

If Merced's Hawkgirl shows up, it's highly likely her fellow Justice Gang members – Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner/Green Lantern and Edi Gathegi's Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific – will as well. Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord, aka the Justice Gang's founder and corporate financer, may also subsequently appear.

There are bound to be more familiar faces in Man of Tomorrow. Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen, and other Daily Planet employees should return. Meanwhile, Milly Alcock's Kara-Zor El/Supergirl, who's also Superman's cousin, might be part of proceedings. She'll star in her own standalone movie, which lands in theaters next June – learn more about it in my dedicated Supergirl guide – but don't be surprised if she and her trusty Kryptonian canine Krypto have a role to play in Superman 2.

Lastly, one newcomer to the big screen could be Aaron Pierre, who's due to portray the Green Lantern John Stewart in the forthcoming DCU TV show Lanterns, an HBO Max Original that'll arrive in early 2026.

Pierre replied to Gunn's Instagram post about the movie's announcement, with Gunn later responding to Pierre's comment (see the screengrab of their exchange above). Does this suggest Pierre's Stewart will be in Superman 2? Don't discount it.

Man of Tomorrow story speculation

Full spoilers follow for Superman.

Shocking no one, Man of Tomorrow doesn't have an official plot brief yet. There are certain things we can read into its likely story, though – starting with how Superman ended.

In that movie's final act, Lex Luthor was defeated by Clark Kent (with a little help from Krypto) and carted off to Belle Reve prison to answer for his crimes. The primary charges leveled against him are his covert operations that include making an evil clone of Kal-El, creating a pocket universe for imprisoning his detractors, and then using said alternate dimension to open a multiversal rift that could've destroyed the entire planet. So, you know, a typical day in the life of Supes' biggest archnemesis.

This isn't the last we've seen of Luthor. As the trio of Instagram posts in this article suggests, we might see Luthor build or acquire his Warsuit/Power Armor/whatever you want to call it. Indeed, we could also see him form an uneasy alliance with Superman to tackle a common foe – they've been frenemies in the comics many times – before, in true Luthor style, betraying the Man of Steel. You can learn more about why this team-up might be necessary in my article about four big fan theories concerning Man of Tomorrow.

That's not the only major fan hypothesis that circulated online after the Superman Saga's next film was announced.

On the Superman subreddit, one theorist proposed Hoult's Luthor being this movie's protagonist or, at the very least, sharing co-lead duties with Corenswet's iconic Kryptonian. The 'Man of Tomorrow' moniker is usually associated with Superman, but Luthor has uttered those words in the comics and even described himself as the 'Man of Tomorrow', which is how he views himself (i.e., someone who's aiming to make the world a better and safer place in his eyes), in some live-action adaptations. It's plausible, then, that this movie might be referencing him, rather than Supes.

As of September 2025, there's little else we know about Gunn's next big-screen project.

However, it's worth noting that Peacemaker season 2, which is three weeks into its eight-episode run (at the time of this article's original publication), will "directly" set up Man of Tomorrow's story. That's according to Gunn, who said as much when responding to a fan on Instagram (thanks to Reddit for the catch). So, if you want to know what to expect from the next Superman-featuring film, you'll need to tune in to Peacemaker's sophomore installment.

There are three other DCU productions set to arrive before Man of Tomorrow – those being Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface. I doubt any or all of them will impact Superman 2's story, though, but I'm happy to be proved wrong once they've been released.

For more DC Comics coverage, check out my guides on how to watch the DC movies in order, how to watch Superman movies in order, and how to watch the Batman movies in order. Alternatively, see when Superman might finally arrive on HBO Max and other leading streaming platforms.