James Gunn Could Finally Resurrect a Long-Lost 25-Year-Old Plastic Man Pitch in Man of Tomorrow

Well, it looks like Matthew Lillard is having a moment—again. You might remember him from 'Scream,' 'Scooby-Doo,' or more recently, from popping up in 'Five Nights at Freddy's.' Now, the dude who, let’s be real, hasn’t been out of work since the late '90s is about to join the DC Universe. Yes, the current era of superhero gold rush just landed another familiar face. And honestly, the way things are going for Lillard, I don’t see this being his last stop.

Lillard and Gunn: Back Together (Seriously)

News dropped on May 6, 2026, that Lillard would be part of the upcoming DCU film 'Man of Tomorrow'—set for theaters in 2027. There’s a twist here: this reunion brings him back with James Gunn, who wrote the live-action 'Scooby-Doo' movies where Lillard made Shaggy more iconic than he should've ever been. (We all agree those movies are wild, right?)

Nobody’s saying who Lillard will play, but the rumor mill immediately started churning about a certain stretchable C-lister: Plastic Man. Turns out, that’s not random speculation—it’s got some history behind it.

So, Is Lillard Playing Plastic Man?

The backstory for non-comic nerds: Plastic Man—created by Jack Cole in the '40s and later folded into the DC catalog—is your classic reformed crook-turned-superhero, but with the twist that he can turn himself into pretty much any shape. Think more rubber-band than Batman. Usually, Plastic Man’s stories lean hard into comedy. Over the decades, there were all sorts of failed attempts to get him on screen: The Wachowskis wrote a script in the '90s, Kevin Smith pitched an animated version in the 2010s with Jim Parsons in mind (yep, Sheldon), and—here’s the kicker—James Gunn AND Matthew Lillard once pitched a Plastic Man movie to Warner Bros back in the early 2000s, right while filming 'Scooby-Doo'.

'We actually pitched a Plastic Man movie to the head of Warner Bros. when we were making Scooby-Doo,' Gunn confirmed on X. All evidence points to Gunn not forgetting his fun old projects.

Now Gunn basically runs the DCU, and Lillard’s stock is higher than ever. If ever there was a time to dust off that pitch, it’s now.

Why Plastic Man Makes Sense Here

• Plastic Man has become more relevant to DC lately, joining The Terrifics (their version of the Fantastic Four, sort of). Two of The Terrifics members—Mister Terrific and Metamorpho—already turned up in the DCU’s previous Superman movie.
• James Gunn’s new DCU borrows a lot from the Grant Morrison comic runs, and Plastic Man is a memorable piece of Morrison’s JLA. With 'Man of Tomorrow' tossing in Justice League regulars like Hawkgirl and Green Lantern’s John Stewart, the table’s pretty much set for a comic-accurate Plastic Man.
• The comic-book rumor mill’s also buzzing about a Mister Terrific spin-off, and, let’s be honest, Plastic Man would fit right in.

But…Lillard Might Not Be Plastic Man at All

Don’t get too far ahead of yourselves—it’s not a lock. Lillard could play anyone: Superman supporting cast, a government type, a brand new character cooked up by Gunn just for this movie. You’ve seen how Gunn likes to invent/upgrade randoms, like Tim Meadows’ Langston Fleury in 'Peacemaker'.

The Plastic Man angle just sort of makes too much narrative sense to ignore. Lillard’s got decades of comedic cred and something of a devoted fanbase, which DC could use to launch a goofier hero into the mainstream the way Marvel did with Ant-Man. If we learn Lillard’s not playing Plastic Man, it’ll feel like a missed shot, frankly. But I guess we’ll see if Gunn is going by the book, or just having some fun with old inside jokes.

Cast So Far

As for everybody else, DC’s keeping most of that parade under wraps. But with an announced 2027 release, expect more news (and wild theories) as filming ramps up. Whether Lillard ends up bouncing around as Plastic Man or not, you can bet Gunn’s going to make use of his weird comedic chops somewhere in the DCU. Stay tuned for whatever madness they cook up.