Brainiac Shortlist For ‘Man Of Tomorrow’ Revealed - Nexus Off The Record

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As announced last month, DC Studios is currently casting Brainiac, the lead villain to Man of Tomorrow. 

Sources tell Nexus Point News that Claes Bang, Matt Smith, and Sam Rockwell are among those on the short list for the highly anticipated Superman antagonist. However, we should note that some of the names we have mentioned have not been independently verified fully, as casting remains ongoing and no offers have been made. One piece of information told to NPN was budget restrictions at DC Studios may prevent certain desirable names to be cast.

Claes Bang is best known for starring in The Square and BBC’s Dracula series. He also portrayed the antagonist in Robert Eggers’ The Northman.

Matt Smith is best known for his work on Doctor Who where he portrayed the titular Eleventh Doctor and The Crown where he portrayed Prince Philip. His credits also include House of the Dragon, Morbius, and Caught Stealing.

Sam Rockwell most recently was featured in the latest season of The White Lotus which earned him an Emmy nomination. He’s known for his roles in Iron Man 2, Vice, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2017.

James Gunn is set to write, direct, and produce the film. DC Studios’s co-CEO and chairman, Peter Safran, will produce along with Gunn. David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are set to reprise their roles as Clark Kent/Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively and will serve as co-leads of the film. Additionally, Frank Grillo is confirmed to return as Rick Flag Sr. Although the film will continue their rivalry and feature Lex as an antagonist, rumors suggest they will also join forces as well. Although unverified, NPN exclusively reported that Supergirl (Milly Alcock), Lobo (Jason Momoa), and Peacemaker (John Cena) will have roles in the film as well. Production for the film is set to begin in April in Atlanta and shoot through the summer. 

Superman released on July 11, 2025 as the first feature film from DC Studios and the first film of the newly launched DCU. In addition to Superman and Luthor, the film introduced fans to the DCU’s Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl, Supergirl, Perry White (Wendell Pierce), and more. The film had a $225 million budget and earned $616 million in its global theatrical run. Threads of the storyline introduced in Superman will be explored in season 2 of Peacemaker, which recently concluded. Future DCU projects include HBO’s Lanterns and Supergirl which are currently in post-production and Clayface which is currently shooting in Liverpool.

DC Studios’ Man of Tomorrow is set to be released by Warner Bros. Discovery on July 9, 2027.