Matthew Lillard has landed a role in Man of Tomorrow, the DC Studios sequel to last summer’s blockbuster Superman — and the casting doubles as a long-awaited reunion between the actor and director James Gunn, who worked together on the Scooby-Doo films over 20 years ago.
Lillard’s specific role remains undisclosed, but he joins a sprawling ensemble anchored by David Corenswet returning as Superman and Nicholas Hoult back as a freshly complicated Lex Luthor. The film picks up with the two sworn enemies forced to team up against an even larger threat: the superintelligent alien antagonist Brainiac, played by German actor Lars Eidinger. The production is currently shooting, under the working title “Exodus,” filming in Cleveland, Ohio.
The casting carries a layer of personal history. At Los Angeles Comic-Con last year, Lillard told the audience directly: “I have wanted to be in a superhero world. I’ve wanted to be in the DCU, if anyone’s curious. If you run into James Gunn, tell him I’m available. I keep waiting for that invitation. I don’t know if it’s lost in the mail.” Gunn, it seems, eventually got the message.
Lillard recently appeared in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, his first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making him one of the rare actors to cross between both major superhero franchises within a short span. He also starred in this spring’s Scream 7, a franchise he helped establish with the original 1996 film.
Gunn has described Man of Tomorrow as “as much a Lex Luthor movie as it is a Superman movie,” signaling a significant shift in the story’s center of gravity from the first film. Alongside Corenswet and Hoult, the cast brings back Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific. Aaron Pierre, set to debut as John Stewart/Green Lantern in HBO’s upcoming Lanterns series, also joins the film.
The original Superman grossed $618.7 million worldwide and received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult’s performances. Man of Tomorrow is the fourth film in the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters and is scheduled to open in theaters on July 9, 2027.
