As Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow gears up to start filming this summer, writer-director James Gunn has strongly denied a recent casting report that linked three major stars to a role in the upcoming superhero movie.
On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Ella Purnell, Adria Arjona and Marisa Abela were testing for the role of Maxima. However, Gunn quickly shot down those reports on Threads, with his denial leading to Deadline changing its report.
“Deadline’s reporting is shoddy & incorrect. I’ve always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism but that’s not the case here so I’m frankly disappointed. If someone would have run these names by us we would have said it’s bullshit,” he wrote.
Jessica Miglio//Warner Bros.
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“I’ve been friends with Adria a long time since I cast her in The Belko Experiment. I’m a fan of both Marisa and Ella but I’ve never met either of them. Crazy,” he added.
Following Gunn’s post, Deadline’s report has now removed Purnell and Abela’s names from those reportedly testing for the role of Maxima. Arjona remains linked to the sequel, alongside new names Grace Van Patten, Sydney Chandler and Eva De Dominici.
There’s also a new statement at the top from Deadline, likely in response to Gunn’s comments, which reads: “Deadline went through its normal editorial process in the newsgathering for this story. After a review in light of new information regarding the actors involved, the story has been updated.”
Everything else remains the same, including that it’s for the role of Maxima. However, if that is true, don’t expect Maxima to play a major role. In response to a fan on Threads, Gunn added that there’s “one left” to cast in the movie, but that he’s already announced “every major role” in the sequel.
He also noted that he hasn’t confirmed that the role left to cast is Maxima, which has led some DC fans to speculate that Arjona’s name being linked could mean she’s going to be the new DC Universe’s Wonder Woman, following Gunn’s previous comments that she “would be a great Wonder Woman” (via Extra TV).
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What we do know about Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow is that David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are reprising their roles as Clark Kent/Superman and Lux Luthor, respectively, while Rachel Brosnahan is also expected to be back as Lois Lane.
Aaron Pierre will reprise his Lanterns role as John Stewart, while Lars Eidinger will play classic Superman villain Brainiac.
Man of Tomorrow is released in cinemas on 9 July 2027.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.