Man Of Tomorrow Rumor Reveals Matthew Lillard's Role — And It May Set Up A Justice League Movie

Man Of Tomorrow Rumor Reveals Matthew Lillard's Role — And It May Set Up A Justice League Movie

Carrie star Matthew Lillard's mysterious DCU role may have been uncovered, and his rumoured character could offer a major clue about James Gunn's plans for the Justice League franchise.

By JoshWilding - Oct 11, 2026 08:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Man of Tomorrow

There's a lot of secrecy surrounding Daredevil: Born Again star Matthew Lillard's role in Man of Tomorrow, prompting some wild speculation about who he'll play in the DCU.

Filmmaker James Gunn has debunked claims that Lillard is portraying a veteran Barry Allen (aka The Flash), but a new rumour may clear things up. Shared by boots-on-the-ground insider @AtlantaDCFans, it's said that the Carrie and Scooby-Doo icon has been cast as King Faraday. 

While the character isn't as well-known as the likes of Amanda Waller or Lex Luthor, he does have a long history in DC Comics dating back to his first appearance in Danger Trail #1 in 1950. 

Faraday plays a notable role in Darwyn Cooke's acclaimed DC: The New Frontier, where his investigation into the mysterious Centre puts him on a collision course with Martian Manhunter. Initially suspicious of superheroes, he gradually comes to understand their importance and ultimately helps the Justice League confront the threat facing humanity.

There have been rumblings for a while that Gunn's endgame is an adaptation of that story. With that in mind, if Lillard is playing Faraday, then the stage could be set for him to play a far more pivotal role in whatever follows Man of Tomorrow (a long-overdue Justice League reboot, for example).

The X outlet also reports that Eve De Dominici and Eiza González were considered for Adria Arjona's mystery role in the Superman sequel, with the former testing for it and González expressing her desire for it. In the past, she's frequently shared her Wonder Woman fandom. 

In Man of Tomorrow, Superman will be forced to team up with Lex Luthor to battle Brainiac, a threat not just to Metropolis but to the entire world.

Written and directed by James Gunn, the movie 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, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Milly Alcock as Supergirl.

Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, Sinqua Walls, and Adria Arjona will also star. However, as we mentioned above, we still don't know whether the latter is playing Maxima or Wonder Woman. There's also speculation that Eva De Dominici is playing one of the characters, and there's always a chance the Diana Prince rumblings don't pan out. We'll have to wait and see.

Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
A lifelong comic book fan who grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the '90s, Josh Wilding has been contributing to ComicBookMovie.com since 2009.

While he's also written for websites like Batman-News, HeyUGuys, and WhatCulture, Josh is CBM's Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and the site's #1 contributor with nearly two decades of experience covering film and TV news (including interviews with Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Gary Oldman, Halle Berry, Jon Bernthal, Tom Welling, and hundreds more).

Based in the UK with his wife, Josh is also an avid WWE and Formula 1 fan and writes about those passions on CBM's sister sites, TheRingReport.com and FullThrottleHQ.com. Favourite superhero? Spider-Man. Favourite pro wrestler? CM Punk. Favourite F1 driver? Max Verstappen.
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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 10/11/2026, 8:15 AM
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 10/11/2026, 8:56 AM
@harryba11zack - User Comment Image
bobevanz
bobevanz - 10/11/2026, 1:49 PM
@harryba11zack - User Comment Image
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 10/12/2026, 6:53 AM
@harryba11zack - omg.
Thank you so, so much for this.
You win again.
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 10/11/2026, 8:19 AM
James Gunn needs to stay far away from both The New Frontier and Kingdom Come storylines. He doesn’t have the writing or directing abilities to make either of these near-perfect storylines
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 10/11/2026, 8:26 AM
@ProudPatriot76 - I wish hed stay away from DC characters in general
dragon316
dragon316 - 10/11/2026, 8:39 AM
@ProudPatriot76 - what do us average non hollywoood working people know about writing and directing with any experience?
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 10/11/2026, 9:04 AM
@dragon316 - How do you know food tastes bad if you aren't a chef?
How do you know your tooth hurts if you aren't a dentist?
How do you know a car isn't working properly if you aren't a mechanic?
How do you know a joke isn't funny if you aren't a comedian?

User Comment Image
DocSpock
DocSpock - 10/11/2026, 9:06 AM
@SteviesRightFoo -

Gunn just needs to move to onlyfans so he can live his dream of constantly pimping out his wife.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 10/11/2026, 11:07 AM
@DocSpock - weve gone from the brain dead edgelord snyder to the frivolous, degenerate hollywood fruitcake Gunn. Its got to be a sick cosmic joke
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 10/11/2026, 11:27 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - I agree 100%
DocSpock
DocSpock - 10/11/2026, 12:20 PM
@SteviesRightFoo -

Speaking as someone who has read comics for nearly 60 years and loved the first 2 Superman and the Nolan Batman movies, what those two have done to my favorite characters is sickening.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 10/11/2026, 1:50 PM
@ProudPatriot76 - though shit Alpha chud
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 10/11/2026, 1:58 PM
@bobevanz - what?
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/11/2026, 2:04 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - I'm not gonna say anything about Superman's creators putting a Jewish curse on the movies. I don't want to say anything like that. But what I will say is that ever since that happened we've had Superman III, Supergirl 1984, Superman Returns, the DCEU and now the DCU's Superman and Supergirl movies. That's all I'm saying.
FireGunn
FireGunn - 10/11/2026, 3:55 PM
@dragon316 - This is the most coherent you've ever sounded and yet your question was still dumb as [frick]
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 10/11/2026, 5:39 PM
@ObserverIO - the character has been DRAGGED....its bad
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/12/2026, 12:02 AM
@ProudPatriot76 - Any clue on who does have "the talent"?
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/12/2026, 12:04 AM
@ObserverIO - Superman 25 was great though.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/12/2026, 12:07 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - I mean he's the first director to actually cast an actress for Lois Lane who actually fits the role in almost 50 years (which I can't say for either Singer or Snyder) and actually restored humanity to Superman as a character so I'm not really seeing your point.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/12/2026, 4:46 AM
@Awest66 - glad you enjoyed it. I think Man of Steel, though flawed, is actually quite an underrated classic. Having said that, both MOS and Superman 25 were misfires. And Superman 25 was the bigger misfire of the two.

The franchise is literally cursed.

(agreed 1000% about Lois though, Rachel Brosnahan might be the best Lois since Noel Niell imo)
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 10/12/2026, 5:13 AM
@Awest66 - I’m really going to have to think on that. Let me get back to you
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 10/12/2026, 5:21 AM
@Awest66 - superman in 2025 film was a cringeworthy loser, no sense of awe, wonder or demanding respect about him. Its a shame because corenswet has potential
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/12/2026, 1:58 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - He was at no point a "cringeworthy loser". He embodied the essential humanity, optimism and belief in the good of people perfectly. Superman isn't about "awe, wonder or demanding respect", He's about being a friend, He's about helping those in need because it's the right thing to do.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/12/2026, 2:02 PM
@ObserverIO - I'm sorry but I really do not see what Man of Steel has over Superman 25 at all. MOS was thoroughly mediocre from beginning to end. It was made with the idea that "Superman is too powerful, unrelatable and irrelevant and the only way to fix him is to give him the Batman treatment".

Superman 25 felt like an earnest celebration of the character and all he stands for. It wasn't a "misfire" at all.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/13/2026, 5:50 AM
@Awest66 - I think you're coming at it purely from the perspective of whether or not it was a good representation of what you think Superman should be.

Overall Man of Steel was a much better film. The story was tight and made sense. It was a much better start to a shared DC universe. But I was talking about how much more of a success it was at the box office, even without adjusting for inflation. It also seems to have carried further culturally.
It's not far to compare both films lasting impact just yet because Superman 25 is so recent, but I think Man of Steel will continue to have an audience whereas Gun's Superman will fall into obscurity.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/13/2026, 8:03 AM
@ObserverIO - With all due respect, I think youre way off here. Man of Steel was a legitimately mediocre movie, chock full of awful dialogue, robotic characters (Like Lois), absurd scenarios (the tornado scene) and excessive, empty action. The plot was in no way tighter either, its full of pointless scenes you could cut without losing anything (like Clark smashing that guys truck, the skull full of DNA and Lois going behind Perrys back to give her story to that sleazy blogger for no reason)

I honestly dont see how you can actually be a fan of the character and like Man of Steel better. One ends with Superman defiantly reaffirming his humanity to Lex and the other ends with him snapping the villains neck like a barbarian caveman. one establishes that Superman "trusts everyone and thinks everyone is beautiful" while the other has him literally say he doesnt think humanity can be trusted, one has a literally perfect depiction of Lois Lane and the other just has Amy Adams in a reporter role.

Good movies are what resonate with people and draw auduences. Superman 25 is a good movie, Man of Steel is an aggressively mediocre one thats honestly full on antithetical to who Superman is as a character. If anything MOS is the more likely to fall into obscurity between the two
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/13/2026, 2:36 PM
@Awest66 - It's not a perfect film but it is a far better film than Superman 25. Again your biggest problem with the film is that you think it's a bad representation of Superman. A lot of people have reiterated the same refrain I'm gonna say now; It's a good film but a bad Superman film.

"Good movies are what resonate with people and draw audiences."
That is not Superman 25. Man of Steel literally drew more of an audience.

A dozen years later, Man of Steel is still talked about. It appears on a lot of peoples list of favorite cbms. For a lot of fans it's their favorite. Superman 25's fanbase seem to have mostly abandoned it only one year later.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/13/2026, 6:00 PM
@ObserverIO - I really dont see how MOS is any way a "better film". Its both a terrible Superman movie and a mediocre movie in general. Its acting is bland, its dialogue is almost entirely exposition, it has terrible portrayals of Lois Lane and Jonathan Kent and it feels like it was made by a guy who'd rather be making a 2-hour long action, effects reel than actually telling a story.

Superman 25 was both a critical and commercial sucess. MOS was ripped aparr by critics and wasnt the runaway sucess WB was hoping for.

Years later, the only reason MOS was talked about was because it was the only modern Superman we had for years, not because of its quality or lack thereof. It honestly feels like the people who cite it as one of their favorites are bigger fans of Snyder than Superman himself.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/15/2026, 4:51 AM
@Awest66 - I don't think that's true. There are many people even on this site who hate the Snyderverse but love Man of Steel.

Snyder fans are generally disliked for being zealous. They have a kind of blind religious dedication. They'll say things that simply aren't true and repeat them over and over Trump-style, like just saying it somehow makes it true. Things like "Superman 25 was both a critical and commercial success".

Critically sure. Although RT can't be trusted with movies that are important to WB. They were acquired by Warners in 2011 and have been caught issuing threatening letters to RT critics regarding their DC movies. But still, sure critically it got a good score. Didn't win any oscars, wasn't on any top 10s at year end. But it was a "critical success" in terms of initial reviews.

Commercially it just about broke even and even that's debatable. That was not the result they expected. It wasn't the worst result, the movie could have outright flopped (and debatably it did) but it was a particularly poor result nonetheless.

Ted Sarandos, under oath in court called the movie unsuccessful.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/15/2026, 1:24 PM
@ObserverIO - With all due respect, I feel those people only do so because it was the only Superman movie we got for over a decade before the 25 film. Actually judging it on it's own merits, It's aggressively mediocre at best. It's generic sci-fi action film with bland characters, a terrible screenplay, a depressing tone, a plot too bogged down in exposition and a massive lack of passion making it feel very one note and joyless.

I'm sorry but I really do not see how you could make an argument as to why it's "better" than Superman 25 at all. Just look at their takes on Lois Lane. 25's is absolutely perfect while MOS is blandness personified. Same for their versions of Superman himself honestly.

Commercially, It only made slightly less than MOS did and it was released post-COVID which had an impact on the theater still felt to this day but it's still getting a direct sequel whereas MOS got a Batman team-up movie that felt more interested in Batman himself.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/15/2026, 3:44 PM
@Awest66 - Again, I realize you personally don't like the film and mostly because of it's portrayal of the characters.

Being post-covid is a poor excuse for Superman 25 making so little, especially since we're so far past covid now. There has since been a resurgence in cinemagoing. Even cbms made serious amounts of cash the year before and the year after Superman 25. Movies are making lots and lots of money. Just not Superman.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/15/2026, 5:58 PM
@ObserverIO - Besides it's portrayal of the characters, It's a terribly made movie period. Seriously, The dialogue is almost entirely exposition, the color grading is awful, the acting is bland, every scene is shot with hand-held shaky cam and in terms of story structure, It doesn't actually have a second act (just a boring, lifeless first act that leads straight into an overlong, unearned third act)

Superman 25 was made 618 million at the box office off a 225 million budget while MOS had the same budget while making 670 million, That's not that big a difference. You can't call 25 a "flop" without calling MOS one as well.

UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/16/2026, 5:22 AM
@Awest66 - Neither were officially flops (although the numbers don't add up on S25 so maybe that one is actually a flop, it's debatable), both were unsuccessful. But Superman 25 was even less successful than MOS

I don't necessarily disagree with those criticisms of MOS but S25 isn't exactly great either.
"The dialogue is almost entirely exposition" at least MOS HAD exposition.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/16/2026, 9:56 AM
@ObserverIO - Well between the two of them which one is actually getting a direct follow-up? Its a pretty unanimous opinion most everywhere that Superman 25 is a return to form for the character in movie format.

I think Superman 25 is terrific. Its vastly superior to MOS from an acting, writing and directorial standpoint.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/16/2026, 12:30 PM
@Awest66 - Superman 25 is getting a direct follow up. That's a fact. But it's also a fact that the guy who directed it is in charge of the studio.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/16/2026, 12:50 PM
@ObserverIO - Regardless, It's a pretty unanimous point of view that Superman 25 was a massive improvement from the last attempt at a Superman movie amongst critics, fans and general audiences.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/16/2026, 1:15 PM
@Awest66 - That's not what unanimous means. It's divisive among fans and barely exists to general audiences.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/16/2026, 4:28 PM
@ObserverIO - "Divisive"?, The Hell are you talking about? MOS was divisive, Superman 25 was positively embraced by both fans and general audiences. It made almost triple it's budget back at the box office.
UltronIO
UltronIO - 10/16/2026, 5:13 PM
@Awest66 - MOS was also divisive at the time. But now it seems to be approaching classic status among fans.

Man of Steel also made almost triple it's budget back at the box office. But Superman may not have even made a profit (meaning that it's possible that they didn't actually make a cent from that film).

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