Lars Eidinger to Play Brainiac in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

James Gunn wrote and will direct the new DC Studios movie, which will see the return of David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

(Left) Lars Eidinger as Sergeant Major Reinhold von Rumpel in episode 101 of 'All the Light We Cannot See.' Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix © 2023. (Right) The character of Brainiac in DC Comics' 'Man of Tomorrow.' Photo: DC Comics.

Preview:

German actor Lars Eidinger will be Brainiac in Tomorrow ‘Man of Tomorrow’.
David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult will return.
Director James Gunn aims to start shooting in April.

James Gunn is busy putting his cast together for 'Man of Tomorrow' the next DC Studios film he wrote and will direct. David Corenswet is returning as Superman (having debuted in, er 'Superman') and Nicholas Hoult will be back as his nemesis Lex Luthor.

The opponents will be unlikely allies in this follow-up to the superhero adventure, and now we know the cause of their unity: nefarious villain Brainiac.

Deadline reports that German actor Lars Eidinger, who has appeared in movies such as 'Clouds of Sils Maria' and 'Personal Shopper' and is on screen now in a small role in 'Jay Kelly' will play the role, the first time the character has been seen in a theatrical live-action release.

What’s the story for ‘Man of Tomorrow’?

(L to R) Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and David Corenswet as 'Superman', a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jessica Miglio. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

Here’s what Gunn said about the new movie:

“It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat. It’s more complicated than that but that’s a big part of it. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. 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.”

He certainly makes it sound more like a direct sequel to ‘Superman’ than had been previously thought, and fans are already speculating that Brainiac could be the big villain this time around.

Gunn also mentioned he’s looking to start production in April next year.

The ‘Superman: The Man of Tomorrow’ DC Comics series ran for 16 issues from 1995 to 1999, and there is an animated adaptation already.

But like ‘Superman’ before it, don’t expect this to be a straight adaptation, instead we know that Gunn will be picking and choosing what he wants to use, and once more bringing his own sensibilities to bear on the story.

Who is Brainiac?

The character of Brainiac in DC Comics' 'Superman: Brainiac,' written by Geoff Johns. Photo: DC Comics.

Brainiac was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, and made his debut in Action Comics #242.

He’s an incredibly smart android who comes from the planet of Colu and is hellbent on collecting all the knowledge in the universe. Among his powers is the ability to shrink cities and destroy planets, and he has a history of shrinking Superman’s home planet of Krypton; and in some storylines even destroyed the place (we don’t yet know if he’ll have been the cause of the planet’s destruction in Gunn’s ‘Superman’ timeline).

When will ‘Man of Tomorrow’ be on screens?

The movie is set for a July 9, 2027 release date.

Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ 'Superman', a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jessica Miglio. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.