Aaron Pierre, who plays Green Lantern hero John Stewart in HBO’s upcoming DC series “Lanterns,” has joined the cast of James Gunn’s “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” (via The InSneider).
Pierre secured the pivotal role following his breakout turn in Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge,” released in 2024. After seeing his performance—more notably his screen presence—in that film, it’s clear he’s a talent to watch. This has led to the actor recently being cast in Shawn Levy’s upcoming “Star Wars: Starfighter.”
Pierre joins a cast that includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult—all set to reprise their roles as Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor. Alongside them are Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Isabel Merced, Frank Grillo, and Lars Eidinger as Brainiac.
Gunn has already suggested that the sequel will see Lex Luthor and Superman forced into an uneasy alliance against a “much bigger threat.” Given the history of both the comics and “Superman: The Animated Series,” it isn’t hard to connect the dots: Brainiac has often clashed with both Superman and Luthor, making him the logical candidate.
“Superman” fared well for Warner Bros. in 2025, earning strong reviews (83% on Rotten Tomatoes) and pulling in $354M domestically for a $615M global total—despite softer overseas numbers. The official narrative claimed the studio made $120M from Gunn’s film, while others believe it actually lost money.
Looking ahead in the DCU, there’s no shortage of upcoming projects: “Supergirl” arrives in theaters this summer, “Clayface” will be unveiled in October, “Lanterns” hits HBO this summer, James Mangold’s “Swamp Thing” might shoot next year, and a “Wonder Woman” reboot is also on the fast track.
Warner Bros. is targeting an April 2026 production start for “Superman: Man of Tomorrow,” with a July 9, 2027, release date locked in
Phoenix is set to reunite with Mills on this next film, which is being distributed by A24 and starts shooting January 2027. This will be Phoenix’s first film since “Eddington.”