Matthew Lillard has joined the cast of James Gunn’s Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, though it is not yet clear who he will play. The film is now in production and is scheduled to open in theaters on July 9, 2027.
Lillard recently appeared in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, and his addition gives Gunn another recognizable name for a sequel already built around returning stars and a villain with major stakes. David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are set to star, while Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Rachel Brosnahan and Frank Grillo are all due back as Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Rick Flag Sr., respectively. Aaron Pierre also has a role in the film.
The sequel follows Superman and Lex Luthor reluctantly teaming up to take down Brainiac, with Lars Eidinger cast as the villain and Adria Arjona set to play Maxima. That keeps Man of Tomorrow tied closely to the world Gunn introduced in Superman, which grossed more than $600 million worldwide, and to the filmmaker’s wider DC plans after he previously confirmed that David Corenswet’s Kal-El will have a role in Supergirl this summer. The new casting suggests Gunn is building the sequel with enough familiar faces and fresh additions to widen the conflict beyond its central pair.
What remains unresolved is the size and shape of Lillard’s role, and that uncertainty matters because the film is already taking shape around a crowded roster of returning characters and a direct battle with Brainiac. For now, the clearest answer is that Man of Tomorrow is no longer just a title and a release date; it is a moving production that is adding pieces around a story Gunn has already set in motion.
