The search is on for a key role in Man of Tomorrow, the follow-up to last summer’s sky-high hit Superman. A trio of up-and-coming actors are reportedly testing for the role of a space-faring superheroine in the film. However, contrary to rampant online speculation, the role is apparently not for Wonder Woman, who has yet to make her debut in James Gunn‘s new cinematic DCU. Gunn denies the entirety of the report, calling it incorrect.
According to initial reports, Marisa Abela, Adria Arjona, and Ella Purnell began testing for the role last week; however, that report has since been revised to delete Abela and Purnell. The character in question is Maxima, a character who has been both friend and foe to Superman in the past. All three candidates are rising stars. Abela stars on the HBO series Industry, and is set to star opposite ex-Superman Henry Cavill in Chad Stahelski‘s remake of Highlander. Purnell stars in the hit series Fallout and Sweetpea, and will next turn up in the killer squirrel horror film The Scurry. Arjona, meanwhile, won plaudits for her roles in Hit Man and Andor, and can next be seen in Michael B. Jordan‘s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. If she gets the part, this will be her second kick at the superhero can, as she starred opposite Jared Leto in the disastrous but highly memeable Morbius. Despite that, Gunn has previously stated that Arjona, who starred in his film The Belko Experiment, would be “a great Wonder Woman.”
Despite the casting report, however, Gunn is disputing the coverage, calling it “shoddy and incorrect,” and asserting that he has never met Purnell or Abela. The Deadline report has since been updated to include Arjona alone, with all reference to Purnell and Abela removed.
This is not against Nexus – they’re sharing what Deadline reported – but Deadline’s reporting is shoddy & incorrect. I’ve always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism but that’s not the case here so I’m frankly disappointed. If someone would have run these names by us we would have said it’s bulls***. I’ve been friends with Adria a long time since I cast her in the Belko Experiment. I’m a fan of both Marisa and Ella but I’ve never met either of them. Crazy.
In further posts, he notes that he will neither confirm nor deny that Maxima is in Man of Tomorrow, and states that there is one role left to cast in the film, which hits theaters next summer.
Who Is Maxima?
Created by Roger Stern and the late George Pérez in 1989’s Action Comics #645, Maxima is the alien queen of the planet Almerac. Seeking a worthy mate to rule beside her, she sets her sights on Superman and won’t take no for an answer. Furious at the Man of Steel for rejecting her advances, she has worked with his foes Brainiac and the Superman Revenge League, but has also pursued heroism at times, even joining the Justice League. She appeared on the TV series Smallville, where she was played by Charlotte Sullivan (Pretty Hard Cases), and Supergirl, in which she was portrayed by professional wrestler Eve Torres Gracie. She was also featured in an episode of Superman: The Animated Series, and was voiced by NYPD Blue‘s Sharon Lawrence.
Man of Tomorrow (which Gunn asserts is not a sequel to Superman) will force the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) and his archfoe Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) to team up against the world-threatening menace of Brainiac (Lars Eidinger). Gunn returns to write and direct the film.
Man of Tomorrow will be released in theaters on July 9, 2027.
via Collider