James Gunn Shuts Down Skydance ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Rumors

Few superhero sequels have generated as much behind-the-scenes chatter as ‘Man of Tomorrow‘, and James Gunn has spent months swatting down the speculation. He has said he is “mostly done shooting down rumors,” yet the stream of claims keeps coming. The latest wave is tangled up in the ownership change at DC’s parent company.

That change is the backdrop to everything. Paramount was given the go-ahead to finalize its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with the deal expected to close on October 6. Soon after, reports said Skydance had moved on from Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy as film chiefs, which left fans asking where Gunn would land.

Now Gunn has responded to a fresh rumor head-on. In a new statement, the DC Studios co-CEO said there are a lot of untrue rumors going around, including a claim that Skydance has seen ‘Man of Tomorrow’ and is making sweeping changes. According to Gunn, nobody from Skydance has even seen the movie.

He explained that the only people who have are producer Peter Safran and a very small, trusted group of friends and family. Any story built on the idea of executive screenings or major changes, he said, is false. For now, that means no sweeping changes are being made as a result of studio feedback.

The denial fits a pattern. In October, Gunn also weighed in on reports that ‘Man of Tomorrow’ had recently held a test screening that was met with negative feedback. His position then and now is that the buzz online is not reliable.

Part of the reason is the uncertainty around the new owners. Skydance boss David Ellison reportedly visited the ‘Man of Tomorrow’ set earlier this year and listened as Gunn and Safran outlined their 10-year plan for the DCU. Deadline reported that Gunn and Safran then had a recent meeting with Ellison about their future that went well.

Gunn has also commented on the set visit, confirming that the Skydance boss knows everything that is in the works at DC Studios. That is a very different thing from seeing a finished film, which is the distinction Gunn is now drawing. It also helps explain why executives knowing the plan can be twisted into executives screening the movie.

The industry backdrop has not helped, either. Reports have said the newly formed Skydance will seemingly allow Gunn and Safran to continue their vision for the DCU without enlisting a new team to reboot the franchise. Even so, it was unclear who the duo would report to, which keeps speculation alive.

Gunn has been busy on this front for a long time. When a trade report claimed several actors were auditioning for a key role, he called it “shoddy & incorrect.” He has also said that rumors of Batman and Wonder Woman auditions for the film are false.

That history matters for how fans read his latest statement. When Gunn denies something outright, he has tended to name the specifics, and this time he named exactly who has seen the film. Fans looking for firm answers will find more of them here than in most rumor cycles.

The real details are comparatively simple. ‘Man of Tomorrow’ is set to reach theaters on July 9, 2027, as the follow-up to ‘Superman’. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent and Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The film is set to pit Superman against the alien monster Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.

Gunn confirmed the premise himself, with Superman and Lex forced to face a bigger threat. Production has been rolling at Trilith Studios in Atlanta since April. The stakes are high after the first film, which became the first DC title to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend since ‘Wonder Woman’ in 2017.

With filming well along, the next real milestone is a first look at the finished movie. One report said Gunn was preparing the first screening of ‘Man of Tomorrow’ for the coming weeks, exclusively for Safran. If that holds, it lines up with what Gunn is saying now.

Until then, expect more rumors and more denials. The safest assumption is that no outsiders have seen the film yet.

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