James Gunn Denounces ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Rumors Concerning Brainiac And Dave Bautista
Superman director James Gunn is finally responding to all the speculation about Brainiac being the villain of the semi-sequel to the 2025 summer film, Man of Tomorrow. And just in time, as amid his silence, things have only escalated as far as guesses as to who will play The Collector of Worlds.
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Vocal scooper Jeff Sneider is credited with alleging on X that Dave Bautista still has favor with Gunn, and is the “frontrunner” for the part. However, Sneider had to clarify he was making a guess based on prevalent reports, and he didn’t start the rumor.
“Someone else started the Brainiac/Bautista rumor, not me. So glad Sean O’Connell writes books. Guy can’t even get his facts straight. All I did was say, yeah, I guess it sounds like Bautista, according to reports. I personally haven’t heard ANYTHING about Man of Tomorrow casting,” he admitted.
Matt Smith and Sam Rockwell have also been brought up in this conversation, but Gunn poured cold water on all the excitement, including in regards to Brainiac. “Oh boy. Let’s forget [for] a moment I’ve never said Brainiac was in the movie,” he began on Threads.
“I freaking love [Dave] & I have many ideas for who he could play in the DCU. But he & I have never discussed a role in Man of Tomorrow, nor have we discussed it amongst ourselves at DC. In addition, truly, NONE of the names, from the six or seven I’ve seen rumored for a role, have auditioned or been discussed at all,” he continued.
“In general I’m just letting the silly rumors go – and this is certainly not the silliest I’ve heard recently – but Dave is a friend and that makes it more irritating. Btw I’m not blaming the poster here – I imagine this is coming from other places,” he added in a follow-up post.
Gunn’s remarks gel with comments Bautista made a while back. The box office/former wrestling powerhouse reiterated that he and Gunn remain friends, but haven’t discussed the DCU since the Stuber star passed on playing Peacemaker.
A little later, Gunn confessed why he is addressing all the rumors now. “There are numerous reasons. I said why I addressed this one in the post. Dave is a friend. I don’t need a bunch of stories out there about why he didn’t get the job or whatever when someone else is eventually cast,” he said.
His earlier teases point more directly at Brainiac than any other Superman foe, but there are interesting alternatives if Gunn wants a potentially world-ending threat in Man of Tomorrow. The film takes flight in 2027.
