James Gunn Reveals 'Man of Tomorrow' Set Image Teasing Brainiac

It’s official: Man of Tomorrow has now begun filming, as James Gunn has wasted no time in getting the highly anticipated sequel to Superman off the ground. Less than a year after the release of the 2025 film, DC Studios is bringing back David Corenswet’s Man of Steel back for another world-saving adventure, this time teaming up with Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor as the intergalactic threat Brainiac (Lars Eidinger).

Gunn has kicked off principal photography for Man of Tomorrow with the first behind-the-scenes photo revealing a movie logo that teases Brainiac. The image taken from the set showcases a chessboard with pieces moved across the board, a visitor’s pass for Van Kull Department of Corrections that says “Luthor, A.” Van Kull Maximum Security Prison debuted in DC Comics The Power Company: Bork from 2002 and is located in Metropolis. Luthor was originally sent to Belle Reeve prison at the end of Superman, but following Peacemaker Season 2 and his work alongside Rick Flagg Sr. (Frank Grillo), he negotiated a transfer to this newer facility, which seemingly gives him more freedom.

The photo also teases the logo for Man of Tomorrow, with the Superman “S” shield surrounded by Brainiac’s three signature dots. The image is visible in the background on the film slate. Superman Saga News zoomed in on the image to get a better photo. See it and Gunn’s initial post below.

The use of the chessboard is particularly interesting. While typically used in film to depict a battle of intellect and ideology between two opponents, as seen with Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men films. In Man of Tomorrow, it might hold a certain level of DCU significance. Peacemaker Season 2, which featured Hoult as Lex Luthor, ended with the original Peacemaker team forming their own private organization, Checkmate. Created by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Erwin, Checkmate originated in the Superman-centric Action Comics #598 in March 1988. The organization in the comics hierarchy is modeled after pieces on a chessboard.

It is unclear how the DCU Checkmate will differ from or share similarities with its comic counterpart, but with Peacemaker Season 2’s Lex Luthor subplot now playing into Man of Tomorrow, this chessboard battle could be a tease for both a Superman-and-Lex-Luthor chess match and the inclusion of Checkmate. This could also mean the Salvation storyline introduced in Peacemaker Season 2, which is supposed to be an overarching plot point of the DCU Chapter One, could factor into Man of Tomorrow. Frank Grillo is set to reprise his role as Rick Flag Sr., who is now willing to hunt down and send metahumans to this prison dimension, which could create a conflict with Superman.

Man of Tomorrow will see Superman team up with his archenemy Lex Luthor to fight a greater threat, the alien known as Brainiac. Rachel Brosnahan will return as Lois Lane, and additional cast members include Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart / Green Lantern from the HBO Max series Lanterns, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, and Adria Arjona as Maxima. Gunn will write and direct, with Man of Tomorrow set to open in theaters on Jul. 9, 2027.