James Gunn finally speaks out on ‘Man of Tomorrow’ casting: ‘All these rumors of Batman and Wonder Woman…’
Things are moving at a fast pace at the new and revamped DCU under James Gunn's supervision. The studio kicked off a new phase of development for its superhero universe with 'Superman' in 2025. The follow-up movie, known as 'Man of Tomorrow', is currently in development, with many of its prominent characters cast as of this writing. It was previously confirmed that Lars Eidinger would appear in the upcoming movie as the key villain, Brainiac. In this medley, speculation surrounding the addition of other superhero characters from the world of DC comics is at an all-time high.
Over the past few days, rumours about the possible inclusion of both 'Batman' and 'Wonder Woman' in 'Man of Tomorrow' have been circulating, as reported by ScreenRant. While it is true that 'Superman' established the order of things by including characters from several realms of the DC universe, Gunn was steadfast in his dismissal of the rumours. Taking on his Threads account, the DC co-chairman responded to a fan question stating, "All these rumors of Batman and Wonder Woman auditions are false."
Gunn then went on to shut down the rumours that a big DC superhero casting announcement was on the cards when he said, "The big news was Brainiac; most other sizable roles are characters we've already met. Smaller roles are being cast now." Given the fact that the rumour mill has been working overtime to determine which DC female superhero, among the likes of Big Barda, Jenny Sparks, or Starfire, could feature in the upcoming movie, Gunn was considerate enough to clear the air. "We are currently casting a female character in MoT. My only guess is scoopers are taking a stab at guessing that's WW."
As reported by Movieweb, Gunn is keen to avoid stepping into the same pitfall that marred the earlier DCEU film 'Batman v. Superman'. If Gunn were to include both the Dark Knight and Wonder Woman in a movie like 'Man of Tomorrow,' the instant comparison with 'Batman v. Superman' would be detrimental to the former film's growth trajectory. Moreover, such a crowded film wouldn't do narrative justice to the holy trinity of the new DCU.
In other news, Batman will next be seen in 'The Brave and the Bold', starring the caped crusader alongside his youngest son, Damian Wayne, as Robin, and will be canonically tied into the greater DCU. On the other hand, the second upcoming project associated with the masked vigilante is a stop-motion animation feature film known as 'Dynamic Duo'. It will focus on the first two iterations of Robin that Dick Grayson and Jason Todd played. At this point, the canonical standing of 'Dynamic Duo' remains unclear.