Yesterday, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn took to social media to debunk a report from Deadline, which claimed that Adria Arjona (Andor), Marisa Abela (Industry), and Ella Purnell (Fallout) were in the mix for the role of Maxima in Man of Tomorrow.
“Deadline’s reporting is shoddy and incorrect. I’ve always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism, but that’s not the case here, so I’m frankly disappointed. If someone [had] run these names by us, we would’ve said it’s bullshit. I’ve been friends with Adria [for] a long time, since I cast her in The Belko Experiment. I’m a fan of both Marisa and Ella, but I’ve never met either of them. Crazy.”
Later on, THR weighed in to reveal that out of the above names, only Arjona had actually tested for the part, along with Sydney Chandler (Alien: Earth), Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Lies), and Eva De Dominici (The Cleaning Lady).
There's been some speculation that Gunn could really be searching for the DCU's new Wonder Woman here, but in his latest newsletter, Jeff Sneider says he has heard that the role is indeed Maxima ("no tricks"), who he expects to have "a small role in this film before becoming a bigger character in the inevitable third Superman movie."
But what about the other actresses that Deadline initially reported on?
Sneider doesn't think that the usually reliable trade simply "pulled those two other names out of its ass," and speculates that they may have tested to play Diana, either in Man of Tomorrow or a future DCU project.
"Gunn famously tested Nicholas Hoult as Superman before casting him as Lex Luthor, and I could see him doing the same thing with Arjona, who would make a good Wonder Woman, as Gunn has previously echoed."
Though he doesn't have any inside info, Sneider also thinks that "Gunn is going to introduce Wonder Woman at the end of this movie, just like he introduced Supergirl at the end of Superman."
While it's obviously possible that Gunn could be casting both of these roles at the same time, Arjona aside, we really don't see the other actresses Deadline mentioned being a good fit for a character like Wonder Woman - unless Gunn is planning to go in a very different direction with the Amazonian warrior.
As for Maxima, in the comics she was a powerful alien from the planet Almerac, who attempted to seduce the Man of Steel because he was the only one she deemed worthy of being her husband. Though she started as a villain, she later reformed and fought alongside Superman as a member of the Justice League.
Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to begin shooting this April in locations around London and Atlanta. The plot 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 The Engineer (Maria Gabriella de Faria) have also been confirmed to return, and we recently learned that Aaron Pierre will reprise his Lanterns role as John Stewart.
"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.