While responding to a question about Maxwell Lord on Threads, James Gunn has fueled speculation that when we do eventually get a new DCU Justice League movie, it will primarily take inspiration from the Justice League International comics.
Written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire, the first JLI comic hit shelves in the late 80s and introduced a more comedic incarnation of the original superteam, with the Maxwell Lord-backed lineup consisting of Batman, Black Canary, Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Doctor Light, Martian Manhunter, and Mister Miracle.
Looking at the characters that have already made their DCU debuts and others we know the studio has plans for (Booster Gold, Mr. Miracle, etc.), we'd say this is a pretty solid theory.
Sean Gunn only made a very brief appearance as Lord in Superman towards the end of the movie (he got a little more screen time in Peacemaker Season 2). After Lex Luthor is arrested, we see the wealthy industrialist being interviewed on TV, and all he has to say is: "The one thing both the left and right can agree on is that Lex Luthor sucks."
We know that Lord funds the trio of Metahumans known as the Justice Gang, but we don't really learn much about him aside from this. Will he turn out to be a villain like his comic book counterpart, or be an unexpected force for good in the DCU?
As Gunn notes below, Lord was originally depicted as a morally grey but ultimately benevolent figure before the whole shooting Blue Beetle in the head thing, and the Man of Tomorrow director all but confirms that this will inform the DCU's take on the character.
Gunn was also asked if and when we might get a first official look at Superman's new suit and Brainiac. If he had his way, we wouldn't - at least not until we were sitting down to watch MOT.
The plot of MOT will focus on the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) putting their differences aside and joining forces to defend the planet against Brainiac (Lars Eidinger).
Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), and Maria Gabriella de Faria (The Engineer) have all been confirmed to return, and we recently learned that Aaron Pierre will reprise his Lanterns role as John Stewart.
Adria Arjona will play Maxima (though the Wonder Woman speculation continues), and Xolo Maridueña has also been confirmed to reprise the role of Blue Beetle.
"At its core, it’s about Clark and Lex," Gunn said in a recent interview. "I relate to both of them. I relate to Lex’s ambition and obsession — minus the murder. And I relate to Superman’s belief in people, his Midwestern values. They’re two sides of me."
Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.