Yesterday, the news broke that James Gunn has cast Lars Eidinger (All the Light We Cannot See) as Man of Tomorrow's Brainiac. The response has been positive, even though many DC fans are unfamiliar with the German actor's work.
Gunn has an eye for casting, so chances are Eidinger will blow us all away as the Superman sequel's big bad a couple of summers from now. Still, some fans have understandably questioned why Gunn didn't cast a more recognisable name.
Responding to praise for his decision to choose the right actor for the part (rather than an A-list name), Gunn said on Threads, "I wouldn't leave Chris Pratt, David Corenswet, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Milly Alcock, or Daniela Melchior, etc, out of that mix! All of them were people who came in and auditioned and weren't thought of as 'movie stars.'"
"I'm always interested in casting the best person for the role," Gunn continued, "no matter what route that takes - and often the best route is through auditions." Emphasising that point, when he was quizzed on which past movie or TV show convinced him Eidinger was the right choice for Brainiac, the DC Studios co-CEO replied, "His audition."
The actor must have really blown Gunn away with his take on Brainiac, similar to how the likes of David Corenswet and Milly Alcock won the roles of Superman and Superman. For whatever reason, good or bad, casting household names clearly isn't a priority for the DCU.
The Man of Tomorrow helmer has already debunked reports about Dave Bautista being in the running for Brainiac, but what about Matt Smith, Claes Bang, and Sam Rockwell? "None of them even screen tested," Gunn declared. "I'm not even sure any of them auditioned. Total made-up stuff."
Now that we know who is playing Brainiac, all eyes are on what interpretation of the villain we get in the DCU. Like most DC characters, we've seen multiple versions of the character on the page since his 1958 introduction, and he's previously appeared in live-action projects such as Krypton and Smallville.
"I love aspects of many versions of the characters," Gunn teased, "from the 1950's Binder stuff to the surprisingly scary Wolfman stuff to the animated versions and up through the truly creepy and wonderful, current Absolute Brainiac."
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Gunn might be leaning towards the scarier versions of this character, not the more formidable, physically imposing take introduced by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (which served as Krypton's main inspiration). The filmmaker is a big horror fan, so that version appealing to him makes sense.
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.