James Gunn Taps Lanterns Breakout Aaron Pierre for Man of Tomorrow

DC is stitching together its new era in a pretty fun way: the Green Lantern from TV is apparently flying into Superman's next movie. Aaron Pierre, who suits up as John Stewart in HBO's Lanterns, is joining James Gunn's Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.

What Man of Tomorrow is bringing

Gunn is back writing and directing the follow-up to 2025's Superman, and this time the big blue boy scout and Lex Luthor end up face to face with Brainiac. German actor Lars Eidinger is playing the icy superintellect, which should make for a very different kind of brawl.

Cameras are expected to roll this summer in Atlanta.

• David Corenswet returns as Clark Kent/Superman
• Nicholas Hoult returns as Lex Luthor
• Rachel Brosnahan returns as Lois Lane
• Skyler Gisondo returns as Jimmy Olsen
• Sara Sampaio returns as Eve Teschmacher
• Lars Eidinger joins as Brainiac
• Isabela Merced is expected to return as Hawkgirl
• Maria Gabriella de Faria is expected to return as The Engineer
• Aaron Pierre is joining the cast

About Pierre's other ring-slinger gig

You will see Pierre first in Lanterns when it premieres in August. The setup: two intergalactic cops investigate a murder in the American heartland. A teaser dropped last week, and the vibe leans hard-boiled and moody. It is not the candy-colored version some fans pictured, but I like that it swings for something unexpected instead of coloring inside the lines.

What the showrunner is saying

Last year, co-creator and showrunner Chris Mundy teased how the series plays with time and why Pierre clicked as John Stewart.

"Our story takes place in a couple of different time periods and so the challenge was for the characters be consistent at their core," Mundy said. "John's sort of a different person in one of them than he is in another. And I do think the physicality and magnetism that Aaron brings to the role brought that all together. That theater training, that wanting to be in the minutia of the work and the craft, it really added to John's character from all sides. It added dimension to the more physical side of the role, and to the more emotional, creative part of the role."

Mundy also framed the dynamic between Hal and John as a classic odd-couple partnership, with a very specific read on Hal and some on-set ribbing that bled into the scenes in a good way.

"Kyle's character has kind of a throwback Chuck Yeager vibe to him. He's the kind of guy who you meet, and you don't know whether you like him or you want to punch him," he said. "Then there's Aaron, who has a quiet authority about him, and I think that's important to their dynamic, to the story we're telling. And literally from day one, Kyle started giving Aaron shit for being young and inexperienced. And then Aaron started giving Kyle shit for being an old man. You'd see it in between takes too-they'd start messing with each other would just keep sitting there playing with that dynamic in the best way. And because all the dialogue is supposed to be in a very back-and-forth style, they were into that rhythm before they even got into those scenes."

Between Lanterns hitting in August and Man of Tomorrow gearing up for summer production in Atlanta, DC is clearly setting up some cross-pollination. If Pierre's John Stewart lands the way Mundy suggests, seeing him step into the Superman sequel could be a smart, crowd-pleasing bridge.