WARNING: This article includes spoilers from the Peacemaker season 2 finale.
The DC Universe finally got expanded in 2025, but DC Studios is just getting started with its new superhero franchise. With the Superman movie emerging as the highest-grossing comic book film of the year, a follow-up is already in the works as James Gunn is set to helm Man of Tomorrow for 2027.
In a new interview with Deadline, Gunn spoke more to the future of his filmmaking outside of his role as co-CEO for DC Studios. With the Superman follow-up, the director explained that “Man of Tomorrow was an idea I’ve had for a long time. I think I know the next few I’m directing, so I already know, frankly.”
The former Marvel Cinematic Universe filmmaker elaborated that “Because it’s a part of the plan of the DCU, there is one big story.” However, he stressed the importance of projects being able to stand on their own, “On the one hand, I want everything to be okay to watch by itself.”
He expanded on how Peacemaker episode 8 and its effect on the larger DCU, including the films he will direct. Gunn said, “But also, there’s a bigger story being told that involves, say, Salvation and that story involves Rick Flag, it involves Lex and Superman. There’s those movies that I’m going to be directing.”
While he knows what he is directing after the Man of Tomorrow movie, he also made it clear that the plans could always change. He shared how “That’s the plan right now, at least. I may get so f—–g tired that I can’t do it, because I’m pretty tired, but we’ll see. But there’s a plan that I’m going to do a couple more, at least.”
Man of Tomorrow is set to feature David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprising their respective roles as Superman and Lex Luthor. Principal photography is expected to begin in 2026, with other DCU players set to return for the sequel.
The ongoing theory is that DC’s Brainiac will be the villain for the 2027 entry, but Gunn is keeping those details under wraps. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on September 26, 2025, he only commented with, “But I think we’ll hold off from what exactly is happening.”
With only a handful of projects in Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters” that don’t already have directors, it’s possible that Gunn’s future films beyond Man of Tomorrow are projects that haven’t been announced yet. The DCU will resume in 2026 with the arrival of HBO’s Lanterns and the new Supergirl film.
- Created by
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Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
- First Film
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Man of Steel
- First TV Show
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Peacemaker
- Cast
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Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena
- Movie(s)
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Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold
- Character(s)
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Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.