The hunt for Man of Tomorrow's Brainiac is finally over, as writer/director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has just officially welcomed German actor Lars Eidinger to the DCU.
There's a very good chance that most of you won't be familiar with his work; Eidinger has primarily appeared in German and international film and television productions, including projects like My Little Sister and Babylon Berlin. Perhaps his most well-known role is in Shawn Levy and Netflix's All the Light We Cannot See, where he played the evil Reinhold von Rumpel.
Eidinger also has a small role in George Clooney and Adam Sandler's new movie, Jay Kelly. He also counts Dumbo and White Noise among his U.S. credits.
Taking to social media, Gunn wrote, "In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars."
Matt Smith, Claes Bang, Sam Rockwell, and, more recently, Dave Bautista, were rumoured to be in the running for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow. However, Gunn recently took to social media to debunk those claims. Now we know why.
Once again, it seems Gunn is prioriting casting the actors who he feels are a right fit for these DCU roles in favour of A-List names. The added bonus to that is it saves DC Studios money (even if it doesn't always help with ticket sales).
In many ways, it's hard to fault Gunn for relying on these characters being the selling point, though the pressure will be on David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult to now prove their star power in the Superman sequel. Eidinger is a real talent, though, and should make for a suitably scary Brainiac.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Man of Tomorrow stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr.
Several actors and characters are rumoured to appear, including Aaron Pierre's John Stewart/Green Lantern and John Cena's Peacemaker.
Recent reports have suggested Gunn is looking to cast the DCU's Wonder Woman, and while the filmmaker has remained silent on that, he did recently confirm that Steve Trevor won't appear in the Superman sequel.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.