The slate of big and small screen DCU projects announced by DC Studios at the start of 2023 hasn't come to fruition in quite the way anyone expected. Some of them, like The Authority, have been dropped, while others—The Brave and the Bold, for example—remain stuck in limbo despite new titles like Clayface and Sgt. Rock being thrown into the mix.
The DCU will expand next month with Supergirl, a movie that also introduces Lobo, a character with the potential to be a major player in this world moving forward.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently took to Threads to answer fan questions. Asked whether we'll see General Zod, Doomsday, Doctor Fate, Black Adam, Ultraman, or Darkseid in the DCU, the filmmaker replied, "Two of them in not too long..."
One of them isn't overly difficult to figure out. Darkseid is set to appear in the animated Mister Miracle TV series being developed by Tom King. Gunn has previously suggested that he doesn't have significant live-action plans for the villain due to his similarities to Thanos and his presence in Zack Snyder's Justice League movies.
Who is the second mystery character? Well, that might have been spoiled last November when Black Adam star Pierce Brosnan said, "I’ve heard that Doctor Fate was going to have his own show, or his own movie. I’ve heard that he’s going to be in the next Superman."
In other words, there's a very strong chance that Doctor Fate will factor into next summer's Man of Tomorrow, likely with a new actor playing him. The TV show and movie Brosnan mentioned were DCEU projects, but the "next Superman" was regarding Gunn's Superman follow-up.
Asked at the time if he would be open to playing the character in Man of Tomorrow, Brosnan replied, "I enjoyed that, the philosophy of that character, very much, and I would definitely be open to it."
General Zod and Doomsday appeared in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, respectively, while Ultraman was already reinvented for the DCU by Gunn in Superman. As for Black Adam, we're not banking on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returning to the role.
In Man of Tomorrow, Superman will be forced to team up with Lex Luthor to battle Brainiac, a threat not just to Metropolis but the entire world.
Written and directed by James Gunn, previously announced stars include David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.
Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, Sinqua Walls, and Adria Arjona recently joined the cast, though we still don't know for sure whether the latter is playing Maxima or Wonder Woman. There's also speculation about Eva De Dominici playing one of those characters.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.