German actor Lars Eidinger will play the role of Brainiac in filmmaker James Gunn‘s upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. Set for a release in 2027, the movie centers on the relationship between Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor and David Corenswet‘s Superman, as they are forced to join forces against a common enemy.
Fans have long speculated that the common foe would be Brainiac, and today, Gunn finally confirmed as much (along with the casting) on Bluesky.
“In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top,” Gunn announced. “Welcome to the DCU, Lars.”
Eidinger isn’t a recognizable star to most American audiences, but has worked on the stage and screen in Europe for years. He has a role in Jay Kelly, next year’s drama from Noah Baumbach, the indie filmmaker married to Barbie‘s Greta Gerwig. He previously appeared in Baumbach’s White Noise and the Emmy-nominated miniseries All the Light We Cannot See.
“Man of Tomorrow” is one of a number of nicknames given to Superman in the comics, and has been used as the subtitle of an ongoing, quarterly comic book in the 1990s as well as an animated feature film in 2020. the latter featured Lobo, who is set to make his first big-screen appearance in Supergirl, where the character will be played by Justice League star Jason Momoa.
Both Lobo and Brainiac made their previous live-action appearances in Krypton, the short-lived but much-loved Syfy series starring Cameron Cuffe as Superman’s grandfather. In Krypton, Brainiac was played by Blake Ritson.
While Gunn had not previously confirmed the choice of Brainiac as the villain, it seemed like the smart money was on the villain — no pun intended. The film’s screenplay features a sketch of the human brain on the cover, and Brainiac and Luthor have a long history in the comics, often clashing over who’s got the more powerful, more diabolical mind. Don’t be too surprised if we get a reprise of the “brain beats brawn” line from Superman in the next film.
Man of Tomorrow will release on July 9, 2027 — roughly two years after the relase of Superman and a year after 2026’s Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock as the Girl of Steel. During a recent interview, Gunn intimated that he had a story to tell that involved watching Corenswet’s Superman evolve over four films. Some have taken this to mean the star will get four solo Superman movies, but it seems equally plausible that any Super-family movie in which he appears is one of those four.
Aside from Supergirl, DC Studios is also currently hard at work on Clayface, a movie that centers on the shapeshifting Batman villain. Set in Gunn’s DC Universe, behind-the-scenes shots from Clayface have been leaking all week on social media, showing minor differences between the Gotham City of the DCU and the one seen in Matt Reeves’s The Batman.
Supergirl is set for release on June 26, 2026 in theaters, followed by Clayface on September 11. After Man of Tomorrow‘s July 2027 release, Reeves’s The Batman Part II will finally roll out on October 1.
