UPDATE: Adria Arjona, Eva De Dominici, Sydney Chandler, and Grace Van Patten have emerged as the four finalists for the role, according to THR.
EARLIER: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ sequel is set to kick off production this month in Atlanta, but casting seems to be continuing. According to Deadline, a key role still needs to be cast, with Marisa Abela, Adria Arjona, and Ella Purnell having tested for it last week.
The character these actresses are reportedly vying for seems to be Maxima, a warrior queen from the planet Almerac, who arrives on Earth in search of a suitable mate and quickly sets her sights on Superman. In comics, she’s been portrayed as an antagonist, ally, and love interest to Superman.
UPDATE: Yet, here comes James Gunn, via his Threads account, slamming Deadline’s reporting. He says it’s “bullsh*t.”
Deadline's reporting is shoddy & incorrect. I've always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism but that's not the case here so I'm frankly disappointed. If someone would have run these names by us we would have said it's bullshit. I've been friends with Adria a long time since I cast her in the Belko Experiment. I'm a fan of both Marisa and Ella but I've never met either of them. Crazy.
That reads like a flat-out denial, doesn’t it? Then again, Gunn has been known to push back against media reports that later proved accurate, so it’s difficult to say what’s really happening. There’s likely a kernel of truth in Deadline’s reporting, but exactly what that is remains unclear.
Gunn recently followed Arjona on Instagram, which kickstarted rumors that she might be the next Wonder Woman, but Gunn pushed back, admitting she’d be “great” for the role while noting that fans were perhaps reading too much into his “follow.”
The cast for the sequel, titled Superman: Man of Tomorrow, is led by David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult, who play Clark Kent/Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively. The villain, Brainiac, will be played by Lars Eidinger. Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo, and Sara Sampaio are also expected to reprise their respective roles as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Eve Teschmacher. Aaron Pierre will play John Stewart/Green Lantern in HBO’s upcoming Lanterns.
Superman, released last summer, grossed over $618M worldwide. Gunn is back as writer-director. The film is set for release on July 9, 2027.
The sequel will arrive more than 20 years after the original and nearly two decades after “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” with Turteltaub returning to direct.