The stage is set for a Superman / Lex Luthor team-up in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and Brainiac appears to be a huge contributing factor to that. James Gunn, making a return to the director’s chair for the upcoming superhero pic, has announced that German actor Lars Eidinger (Babylon Berlin, Dumbo) will step into the role of the superintelligent antagonist.
Taking to Instagram, the filmmaker left the following caption on his post, “In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.”
The villain’s reveal hardly comes as a surprise, considering Gunn’s repeated teases about his live-action big-screen debut in cryptic interview comments and concept art in the behind-the-scenes clips of Superman, as well as Brainiac’s status as an iconic Silver Age baddie in the comics. It’s unclear how his path will cross with that of the Man of Steel and Lex, but it likely involves a reluctant partnership between the latter two, who have to join forces and fend off a “much, much bigger threat.”
“It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat,” revealed Gunn previously. “It’s more complicated than that, but that’s a big part of it. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much.”
Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino in 1958, Brainiac is commonly depicted as a superintelligent android or cyborg from the planet Colu, with a thirst for collecting all knowledge in the known universe. As such, the character is regarded as one of the most dangerous threats in the DC Universe, and has appeared in various media iterations, including Smallville (2001 – 2010) and 2018‘s Krypton.
Lars is joined by David Corenswet and Nicolas Hoult in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, where they will both reprise their roles as Superman / Clark Kent and Lex, respectively. The film is slated for release on 9 July 2027, with shooting to begin in April 2026 — two months before Supergirl takes off in theatres.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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