James Gunn casts Lars Eidinger as Brainiac for DC’s Superman film Man of Tomorrow

It’s a strange day to announce something this huge, but here we are. According to Deadline, James Gunn wants German actor Lars Eidinger to play Brainiac in his next Superman film, Man of Tomorrow. Gunn shared Eidinger’s casting via Instagram, saying, “In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.”

Superman and Luthor will be forced into a temporary alliance to deal with Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow. In the comics, Brainiac is a hyper-intelligent supervillain obsessed with collecting all knowledge in the known universe. When Brainiac enters Man of Tomorrow, it would mark the villain’s first appearance in a live-action Superman movie, and it’s certainly been a long time coming. Since the release of the very first Superman movie in 1978, we’ve had four Luthors, two Zods, and even a Doomsday, but no Brainiac. It’s time. Of course, there could easily be other villains in the movie as well.

James Gunn shares Man of Tomorrow story details

While speaking on the Howard Stern Show earlier this year, Gunn dropped a few story details. “It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat,” he said. “It’s more complicated than that but. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much.” Gunn may have even hinted at Brainiac’s involvement with the reveal of the script’s title page.

What’s next from the DCU?

The next DCU project to be released in theaters will be Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as Kara Zor-El, alongside Eve Ridley (3 Body Problem) as Ruthye, Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) as Krem of the Yellow Hill, David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) as Zor-El, Emily Beecham (1899) as Alura, and Jason Momoa as Lobo, a role he has longed to play for years. The film will hit theaters on June 26, 2026.

Have you seen Clouds of Sils Maria, Persian Lessons, Personal Shopper, or any of Lars Eidinger’s other films? Are you excited to see what he does with the role of Brainiac? Let us know in the comments section below.

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