German stage and screen star Lars Eidinger is set to play Brainiac, the supervillain at the heart of James Gunn’s “Superman” sequel, “Man of Tomorrow”. The film will find archrivals Superman and Lex Luthor — played by returning stars David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult — teaming up to face the hyper-intelligent villain. It will mark Brainiac’s first appearance in a major DC motion picture.
In an interview with tip Berlin, Eidinger revealed that Gunn has promised him genuine creative input on the role: “James Gunn wrote to me that he is happy to design the role together with me. I was happy about this formulation, because it means that I should not only be a vicarious agent, but can contribute.” The actor is also undergoing a rigorous physical transformation for the part, training four times a week with a personal trainer to meet the studio’s demands for a leaner, more muscular physique.
Eidinger is currently returning to Berlin’s Schaubühne theatre to star in “Der Geizige” (The Miser) before heading to Hollywood for the production, which is eyeing an April 2026 start date. Despite the leap to big-budget American filmmaking, he told the magazine that theatre remains his most important creative home — and that Berlin stays his home, full stop.
“Man of Tomorrow” is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.
