James Gunn has unearthed a supremely intellectual actor to bring the villainous Brainiac to life in his upcoming sequel to this summer's blockbuster, Man of Tomorrow. "In our global search for the embodiment of Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger emerged victorious. Welcome to the DCU, Lars," Gunn exultantly declared on X Saturday.
The casting decision brings an end to weeks of speculative whispers about who would don the role. The German actor, though largely recognized for his work in European productions such as the acclaimed German series Babylon Berlin, has collaborated with Shawn Levy on the Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See and Noah Baumbach on White Noise.
Brainiac, the classic Superman nemesis who debuted in 1958's Action Comics No. 242, is a super-intelligent alien who wields a shrink ray to shrink Metropolis and store it in a collection of alien cities within bottles. The villain is considered a formidable foe of Superman's, powerful enough to force even Lex Luthor to join forces with the Man of Steel to thwart him.
David Corenswet reprises his role as Superman, with Nicholas Hoult taking on the role of Lex Luthor, rumored to form an uneasy alliance against an even greater threat. Man of Tomorrow follows closely on the heels of Superman and is slated for release on July 9, 2027. Amidst Hollywood's pandemic-induced challenges and labor disputes, sequels have often taken longer than two years to materialize in recent years. Gunn will helm the project and pen the script, producing alongside his DC Studios co-chief, Peter Safran.
