Following the optimistic reception of Superman, it is no shock that its director and author, James Gunn, has begun work on a sequel. Its follow-up will see Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) allied with the villainous Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) towards a better evil.
Earlier this month, Gunn shocked followers with the announcement that the sequel, titled Man of Tomorrow, could be launched on July 9, 2027. Alongside this reveal, he, in addition to Corenswet and Hoult, shared idea artwork of Lex donning his iconic warsuit side-by-side with Superman.
On the heels of Superman’s huge streaming success, Gunn opened up about how Man of Tomorrow compares to its predecessor. The filmmaker defined: “The story in Man of Tomorrow is barely tonally completely different from Superman… Superman’s extra comic-booky in some methods than Man of Tomorrow, and it has to do with the twin characters of Lex and Superman on the heart of Man of Tomorrow and different issues.“
Gunn continued that he was “extra involved in entering into the guts of Lex” and “attending to know extra of Lex as a human being.” The director felt that there was extra depth to Lex than what Superman confirmed, clarifying:
There’s one thing, regardless of all the pieces, that’s extremely heroic about Lex. Take apart morality, which is tough to do, however right here is that this man who’s saying, ‘You possibly can maintain up a constructing. You possibly can shoot down planes together with your eyes. F*ck you, I’ll kick your a*s as a result of I am higher than you.’ I am unable to assist however admire his tenacity and his ego. I imply, his ambition is past evaluate.
Although Superman positioned Clark and Lex as ethical opposites, Gunn appears to be doing the inverse with Man of Tomorrow. Exhibiting the enemies combating collectively as a substitute of towards one another would theoretically permit Lex’s extra optimistic traits to shine.
Per Gunn, Lex is pushed, sensible, and daring. Taking these facets of his character and pairing them with Superman’s kindness and energy would make for a formidable workforce, one thing they might want if the fan idea that they may face Brainiac involves fruition.
Moreover, Superman laid the groundwork for exploring Lex’s extra sympathetic traits. Throughout their climactic showdown, Clark tells Lex:
I’m as human as anybody. I like, I get scared. I get up each morning, and regardless of not understanding what to do, I put one foot in entrance of the opposite, and I attempt to make the very best selections that I can. I screw up on a regular basis, however that’s being human, and that is my best energy. And sometime, I hope, for the sake of the world, you perceive that it is yours too.
This sentimental speech arrange a possible exploration of Lex’s character. Per Gunn’s newest feedback, Man of Tomorrow appears geared toward fulfilling this promise.
A real foil to Superman, Lex has lengthy been a posh, dynamic antagonist. Although many iterations of the Superman mythos have delved into his extra sympathetic facet, like in Smallville, the movie variations of Lex have not often obtained such thorough characterization.
That’s, till Hoult’s Lex debuted in Superman. In arguably the strongest movie depiction of the villain thus far, this Lex was compelling as a consequence of his evil, his ego, and his insecurities. Taking that basis and making him extra of an antihero is a brilliant transfer by Gunn, which could simply make Man of Tomorrow Lex’s greatest outing but.
Superman
9/10
- Launch Date
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July 11, 2025
- Runtime
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130 minutes