Claes Bang (Dracula), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2), and Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) are said to be in the running to play Man of Tomorrow's Brainiac, though the latter recently emerged as the supposed frontrunner.
The plot has thickened today with an update from Grace Randolph. She was first to mention Bang being in the mix, and disputes Smith being the most likely candidate to play the Superman sequel's big bad.
Instead, she's heard Brainiac could be "someone Gunn has worked with before, quite a bit." Randolph didn't seem overly impressed, though, using a series of emojis—😂🫠🤔—to describe her reaction to the rumour.
Gunn has already brought several familiar faces from the past into the DCU. Still, there are some heavy-hitters from the MCU who have yet to make the leap over to DC Studios to reunite with the Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director.
So, who are the most likely possibilities? Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista immediately come to mind, with the latter someone we know is eager to join the DC Universe as a villain. Chukwudi Iwuji is another possibility, though he did appear in Peacemaker Season 1, and Brainiac is arguably too similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's High Evolutionary.
We'll see what happens. Until the trades weigh in, it's best to take all of these casting rumours with a pinch of salt. Still, if Randolph's reaction is anything to go by, this latest rumoured possibility could be controversial.
"For forever, it was Bane," Bautista previously said of his DC aspirations. "When I was younger, I wanted to play Bane; it was like a dream role for me. And I got to a point in my career where I just felt like I was just too old to play Bane. I think the physicality of it, at this point in my career and my life, I just wouldn't be able to do the character justice."
"And then I saw somewhere online that someone posted something of me playing Lex Luthor; an older Lex Luthor. I kind of became obsessed with that idea," he added. "Obviously, they moved on from that idea, so at this point, I'm struggling to find my place in the DC universe. But I'd really be up for anything." Brainiac wouldn't be that different, right?
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. As noted, recent reports point to Gunn possibly looking to cast the DCU's Wonder Woman.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.