James Gunn Says ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Will Be Different Than ‘Superman’ in This Key Aspect

James Gunn is already planning the next chapter in Superman’s story, and it’s going to look a little different than what fans just saw on screen.

In June 2025, Gunn revealed that he had started writing another film featuring the Man of Steel. While he said it wouldn’t be a direct sequel, Superman would still play a major role. Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav later confirmed that Gunn was not only writing but also directing the project.

By September, Gunn announced the title: Man of Tomorrow. The movie is set to release on July 9, 2027, with David Corenswet returning as Superman and Nicholas Hoult back as Lex Luthor. Filming is expected to begin in April 2026.

Speaking on The House of R podcast with Mallory Rubin, Gunn explained how Man of Tomorrow will differ from Superman. He said, “The story in Man of Tomorrow, it is slightly tonally different from Superman… Superman’s more comic-booky in some ways than Man of Tomorrow, and it has to do with the dual characters of Lex and Superman at the center of Man of Tomorrow and other things.”

Gunn emphasized that this movie won’t just be about Superman fighting his enemy. It will explore Lex Luthor in more depth than ever before.

He told the podcast, “I think I’m just more interested in getting into the heart of Lex and seeing how he fits into all of this. I think getting to know more of Lex as a human being. I think we saw a lot about the evil part of Lex. He’s pretty evil… I think he, as a character, is really interesting. There’s something, despite everything, that is incredibly heroic about Lex.”

Gunn went on to explain why Lex fascinates him so much. “Take aside morality, which is hard to do, but here is this guy who’s saying, ‘You can hold up a building. You can shoot down planes with your eyes. F**** you, I’m going to kick your ass because I’m better than you.’ I can’t help but admire his tenacity and his ego. I mean, his ambition is beyond compare.”

That approach confirms what many DC fans have been waiting to see: a story where Superman and Lex aren’t just battling physically but standing toe-to-toe as equally important characters. Gunn himself even said that Man of Tomorrow is “as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie.”

With production around the corner, fans now know this won’t just be another round of hero versus villain. It’s shaping up to be a deeper dive into the rivalry that has defined Superman’s legacy for decades.

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