James Gunn Reveals First Details on Man of Tomorrow, Confirms Superman and Lex Luthor Have to Work Together Against a ‘Much, Much Bigger Threat’ — but Who Is It?

James Gunn has revealed the first details on Man of Tomorrow, the follow-up to this year’s DC Universe kickstarter Superman.

In previous interviews, Gunn had teased his next writer / director movie wasn’t going to be a straight up Superman sequel, and now we know why. Man of Tomorrow will see Superman and Lex Luthor team up to face a greater threat, with Gunn revealing: “it’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie.”

Gunn was speaking about the film on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio, confirming shooting begins in April 2026 ahead of the film’s planned July 9, 2027 release date — just two years after Superman came out.

“It’s gonna be out in two years, July 9, 2027, which is a relatively a short time between sequels, because we knew immediately where we were going,” Gunn said.

“And it is a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together, to a certain degree, against a much, much bigger threat. And it’s more complicated than that. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex Luthor, sadly.”

The question now is who or what is this “much, much bigger threat?” Much of the fan speculation points to Brainiac, the long-standing Superman villain, but there’s mention of all sorts, including Darkseid, last seen threatening to destroy the Justice League in Zack Snyder’s defunct DCEU, and General Zod.

But the good money is on Brainiac, a character who would certainly fuel Luthor’s out of control jealousy, which Gunn touched on in his interview.

“That’s the center of Lex for me,” Gunn added. “Three years ago, before Superman came along, he was considered the greatest guy in the world, even with other metahumans and superheroes in the world. And then in one fell swoop, this guy comes in wearing a silly costume, with dimples, and a charming smile, and a great chin, and he’s forgotten.”

You can check out IGN’s own speculation in our feature, Man of Tomorrow: What Do We Know About the Plot and Villain of James Gunn’s Superman Sequel?

When Gunn announced Man of Tomorrow earlier this month, he did so with an image drawn by Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics Jim Lee, showing Superman alongside Lex Luthor, who’s wearing a suit of power armor. Superman is leaning playfully on Luthor while holding a screwdriver, suggesting the alliance Gunn has now confirmed.

Superman actor David Corenswet also took to social media to post a different image, below. This one was drawn by DC Comics’ artist Jorge Jiménez, and very much looks like Superman and Lex joining forces to fight this mysterious new enemy.

But then we also have Lex Luthor actor Nicholas Hoult posting an image of his own, drawn by Mitch Gerads, showing Superman fighting Lex Luthor, which suggests the pair will be at odds for at least part of Man of Tomorrow.

Superman is considered a box office hit and a successful start for Gunn’s rebooted DCU. It’s made more than $600 million in theaters, making it the first and likely only superhero movie of 2025 to do so. Most of that money was made in North American theaters (Gunn has offered his thoughts on why Superman is doing better domestically than internationally).

With confirmation of Man of Tomorrow, the DCU is taking shape. In film, DC Studios has Supergirl and Clayface coming out in 2026, and the next Wonder Woman at some point after. Man of Tomorrow slots in July 2027.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.