James Gunn says Man of Tomorrow is where the DCU starts to come together
James Gunn says you shouldn’t treat every DCU release like homework, even as his nod to Man of Tomorrow quietly signals a bigger plan slotting into place.
If you've been following the new DC Universe relaunch with one eye on what the hell the actual plan is—good news, you're not alone. Plenty of fans have been scratching their heads over whether every film and series coming out of DC Studios is critical viewing, or just another bit of entertainment. Well, co-CEO James Gunn has weighed in yet again (he can't help himself, really) to clarify how all these stories are supposed to fit together — or not.
DCU: One Saga, Many Stories
So, Gunn hopped onto Threads after fans peppered him with questions about just how interconnected this new DCU really is. Specifically, some wondered whether the newly announced projects are all feeding into an inevitable mega-crossover, or if they're genuinely allowed to breathe. Gunn drew a pretty explicit line:
Gunn explained on Threads, "I said some stories would be standalone like the Guardians movies were (which is what Clayface is) and some stories would have part of a larger narrative structure, which is what the Superman Saga is."
He added that the big arcs—like what he's calling the Superman Saga—are meant to be accessible as individual chapters. No need to treat every film like revision for an exam; you won't be lost if you skipped a random spin-off series. That said, expect some characters to hop from one film to another, particularly as this Superman story heats up. But, Gunn insists, earlier projects shouldn't exist solely to tee up cameos further down the line.
Man of Tomorrow: The Next Big Step
Which brings us to the real news here: Man of Tomorrow, due in cinemas 9 July 2027, is officially the next chapter of the Superman Saga. Gunn was fairly explicit that it's not just another Superman sequel for the sake of it—it's all part of his wider DCU roadmap. He sounded genuinely chuffed on Threads about it:
Gunn wrote on Threads, "It's exciting seeing things START to come together and all that makes me even more excited for what we have in store for everyone in Man of Tomorrow."
On the casting front, David Corenswet is back as Superman, Nicholas Hoult returns as Lex Luthor, and Lars Eidinger steps in as Brainiac. Yes, that's yet another new villain, and this time he's an alien cyborg rather than a real estate-obsessed eccentric. If you're curious about when you need to start queueing for tickets, stick July 2027 in your calendar now.
Man of Tomorrow lands in UK cinemas on 9 July 2027.