Man Of Tomorrow Production At Atlanta Prison Causes Unrest Among Unhappy Prisoners

Man Of Tomorrow Production At Atlanta Prison Causes Unrest Among Unhappy Prisoners

Man of Tomorrow is currently shooting scenes set in the fictional VanKull Prison, but the disruption caused to real FCI Atlanta inmates is said to be causing quite a stir.

By JoshWilding - Apr 23, 2026 08:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Man of Tomorrow
Source: TMZ

Man of Tomorrow has started shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, using FCI Atlanta to double for the VanKull Department of Corrections. That's where Lex Luthor is being held after the events of Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, with the HBO Max series revealing that he'd made a deal with Rick Flag Sr. to be moved out of Belle Reve.

DC Comics fans are excited to see how Lex goes from being an inmate to fighting Brainiac alongside Superman. However, the inmates at FCI Atlanta aren't quite as enthusiastic about sharing their space with the DCU.

According to TMZ, the Man of Tomorrow shoot is allegedly "messing up their routines -- and more importantly, access inside the joint. Basically, while the flick is in production, we're told prisoners have to remain in their cells way more than under normal circumstances -- and even worse...no access to commissary." 

There are obviously safety and security issues that would factor into these changes, and according to the site's sources, shooting is only taking place in a small part of the prison. Work there is also expected to wrap soon.

TMZ reached out to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and a spokesperson said, "They'd never comment on internal security practices or procedures in general." 

However, "If a warden did put a facility on modified operations status, it would be for the safety of staff and inmates. Usually, such an order would happen after a violent incident that needed to be investigated." This source also assured the site that inmates still have "daily access to at least three meals per day, potable water, and medical and psychological services."

This is a strange story, and one that's unlikely to elicit much in the way of sympathy for these prisoners. Regardless, with Man of Tomorrow getting ready to move on from FCI Atlanta, it seems we won't be spending too much time behind bars with Lex.

In Man of Tomorrow, Superman will be forced to team up with Lex Luthor to battle Brainiac, a threat not just to Metropolis but the entire world. 

Written and directed by James Gunn, previously announced stars include David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.

Adria Arjona and Andre Royo recently joined the cast, though we still don't know for sure whether the former is playing Maxima or Wonder Woman. 

Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.
Man Of Tomorrow Star Adria Arjona Shares Workout Video - But Does It Reveal Her DCU Role?
Related:

Man Of Tomorrow Star Adria Arjona Shares Workout Video - But Does It Reveal Her DCU Role?

Man Of Tomorrow Set Photos Reveal First Look At Van Kull Maximum Security Prison
Recommended For You:

Man Of Tomorrow Set Photos Reveal First Look At Van Kull Maximum Security Prison

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, Comic Book Movie is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Comic Book Movie will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that Comic Book Movie, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
dragon316
dragon316 - 4/23/2026, 9:01 AM
He have courage do scene in working prison with prisoners in there make them upset any other director will have found abandoned prison or make movie set he goes to real prison make this scene
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 9:30 AM
@dragon316 - I’m actually surprised he did that given that there are plenty of abandoned prisons he could have shot at. Inconvenienced criminals don’t bother me, but the more upset they are the more dangerous it becomes for the corrections officers when they leave and CO’s have been violently assaulted by prisoners (it happens all the time at Rikers in NY)
XenoJazz
XenoJazz - 4/23/2026, 9:07 AM
Those poor criminals :(
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 9:34 AM
@XenoJazz - I agree and could care less about criminals being upset either, but when they wrap up filming pissed prisoners become a big danger for the CO’s there. My family’s friend’s husband (who was way too quiet and nice a guy for that job) was violently beat and hospitalized in Rikers while working as a CO (he’s changed careers since.
NotMyDiagnosis
NotMyDiagnosis - 4/23/2026, 10:10 AM
@Bucky74 - so you do care about the criminals being pissed then?
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 10:22 AM
@NotMyDiagnosis - Oy because it threatens hard working CO’s who have to get home to their families. I have zero sympathy for those who victimize others. My brothers and I grew up dirts poor in a 1 bedroom apartment raised by a single mother, and we never dreamed of robbing anyone because we knew that was wrong. So no, I really don’t care if criminals are happy other than how it affects the guards
NotMyDiagnosis
NotMyDiagnosis - 4/23/2026, 10:25 AM
@Bucky74 - ?si=4gBnFzTTf5ytqi4_
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 10:31 AM
@NotMyDiagnosis - I enjoyed that way more than I should have.
NotMyDiagnosis
NotMyDiagnosis - 4/23/2026, 10:37 AM
@Bucky74 - hahaha!

Apologies, but i had to do it.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 10:45 AM
@NotMyDiagnosis - I deserve that for butchering the Queen’s English 😂
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 4/23/2026, 2:05 PM
@XenoJazz - True.
Many of them are there simply due to systemic institutionalized racism, at least, that's what the professors say.
Baf
Baf - 4/23/2026, 2:44 PM
@NotMyDiagnosis - I could care less about that video mocking Americans for saying things like “I could care less” and “hold down the fort”, but what’s more annoying is someone making a video nitpicking them like that’s worth anyone’s time.
JackDeth
JackDeth - 4/23/2026, 9:10 AM
Oh GOD no, don't mess up their routines. Jesus Christ, this is a non-story. lol
Sominan
Sominan - 4/23/2026, 9:12 AM
I remember working as an extra for the Metropolis scenes back in 2024 where they shot them in downtown Cleveland and some of the locals were mad that the streets all suddenly had different names. Lol
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 10:26 AM
@Sominan - That’s cool. Did you see Cornsweat in the suit? I was an extra in Amazing Spider Man 2 in the graduation scene and Andrew Garfield was always walking past us (and I was right behind Stan Lee at one point trying to say hi, but he was filming some extra stuff and I couldn’t get a word in, lol).
Sominan
Sominan - 4/23/2026, 11:19 AM
@Bucky74 - I did!! And U shook Gunn's hand too. Hope to work on Man Of Tomorrow as well.

They were shooting the Kaju fight and the kryptonian message reveal.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 2:05 PM
@Sominan - That's awesome! Garfield wasn't filming in the suit that day, unfortunately. If you get in on MOT post mild spoilers, please, lol.
Sominan
Sominan - 4/23/2026, 9:13 AM
Having been to jail, most inmates will get mad out of boredom.
Timerider
Timerider - 4/23/2026, 11:23 AM
@Sominan - If I was James Gunn, I would have went on the intercom and said, I need to film a couple of scenes, maybe 2-3 days of work, and in return I’m going to give all of you 100 dollars, then apologize for the interruption and explain things to them. They probably would have took it better than no money.
MaximusTheMad
MaximusTheMad - 4/23/2026, 9:14 AM
Wtf kinda stupidity would let a movie disturb people's daily lives?

If this is true, then Gunn and those responsible for this mess need to stop themselves.

People are living hard enough lives in prison as is.
Amaru
Amaru - 4/23/2026, 9:23 AM
@MaximusTheMad - Shut the [frick] up. You sound so stupid.

They made someone else's life hard enough or did something stupid, that's why they are in prison.
OmegaBlack13
OmegaBlack13 - 4/23/2026, 9:37 AM
@Amaru - Yes, and the debt to society that’s been agreed upon is they go to prison, not live their lives at the profit of a movie studio.
PapaSpank54
PapaSpank54 - 4/23/2026, 9:38 AM
@Amaru - bro do you seriously believe the US justice system is so airtight that everyone in that prison deserves to be there? Do you think that committing any crime forfeits your basic human rights? Then what are you doing here? Go polish a cop's shoes with your tongue somewhere!
Rexotron
Rexotron - 4/23/2026, 9:46 AM
@OmegaBlack13 - They're not making profit off of these prisoners. The prison is though. That's not part of their debt to society either. Thanks American prison system!
ImNotaBot
ImNotaBot - 4/23/2026, 9:49 AM
@PapaSpank54 - basic human rights? you're talking like WB is torturing them, they are just filming shit for a couple of days messing up their routines but they still have a warm bed, food and access to the bathroom.

MF is acting like WB DC turned the place into a 1933 nazi camp just to film the movie.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 4/23/2026, 10:13 AM
@MaximusTheMad - what the [frick] kind of bot comment is this lol
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 10:35 AM
@PapaSpank54 - In 2026, I can absolutely guarantee you that every criminal in prison deserves to be there, and yes, they do forfeit many basic rights (but not all) when they are sent there. The old saying “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” comes to mind. My sympathies are reserved for their victims.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 4/23/2026, 11:08 AM
@Amaru - But in fact, by riling up the inmates, they are actually making life harder for those running or working at the prison.
PapaSpank54
PapaSpank54 - 4/23/2026, 11:23 AM
@Bucky74 - interesting,how can you guarantee that?
OmegaBlack13
OmegaBlack13 - 4/23/2026, 12:53 PM
@Bucky74 - Hey man, do you know what recidivism is, do you think it’s at all connected to the attitude you’re displaying, and do you think this is ultimately good for society?
OmegaBlack13
OmegaBlack13 - 4/23/2026, 12:54 PM
@Rexotron - The studio is profiting off the movie that they’re using the prison to make part of. Ultimately this shooting location is being used to maximize what they think their profits will be.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 2:09 PM
@PapaSpank54 - Because there are so many stages to actually convict someone (arrest on probable cause, witness and victim statements, discovery evidence, trial, judicial discretion, and much, much more), it's actually way more likely guilty criminals go free unjustly.
Bucky74
Bucky74 - 4/23/2026, 2:17 PM
@OmegaBlack13 - Recidivism exists because the criminal justice system is way too lenient. I grew up dirt poor with my two brothers and was raised by a single mother who worked her a$$ off in a 1 bedroom (four of us crammed in) apartment in Brooklyn. None of us ever robbed anyone or became criminals. There is no excuse. I can also tell you from experience that many belong in prison, far from civilized society, where they only seek to harm others. Mass incarceration is a good thing. It means the most dangerous among us are exactly where they are supposed to be. There are people out there who would violently rob and beat your mother or grandmother (or worse) and laugh about it. That's reality.

Can someone be reformed? Yes, it does happen, but it's rare. Releasing the most dangerous among us again and again is what causes recidivism. How would you feel if a loved one met one of those criminals alone in a dark ally or on the street?
LoudLon
LoudLon - 4/23/2026, 2:27 PM
@OmegaBlack13 - Not Gunn's fault. He's there by permission of the prison. They could have said nope, sorry, you can't shoot here. But they didn't.
MikeyL
MikeyL - 4/23/2026, 9:18 AM
If they have access to the basics of food, toilets and hygiene, then I don’t know how I’m meant to feel sympathy. It’s prison, not camp.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 4/23/2026, 11:14 AM
@MikeyL - I don't think you're meant to feel sympathy for the inmates, but a disruption could cause problems for the guards. They neither got a say in the decision to let the movie shoot there, nor are they prisoners.
FinnFangFoom
FinnFangFoom - 4/23/2026, 1:29 PM
@MikeyL - to them it's free hotel
xHollywoodx
xHollywoodx - 4/23/2026, 9:20 AM
Filming at a live prison is stupid. Could have filmed at a number of decommissioned modern prisons like Old Joliet Prison, the prison from prison break, or the one from Shawshank redemption. But no, they had to affect the daily lives of criminals, already have it tough, for the sake of a movie.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 4/23/2026, 9:23 AM
@xHollywoodx - that or maybe just build a set while doing location shots for the exterior.

I guess they want it to be authentic but idk.
Amaru
Amaru - 4/23/2026, 9:24 AM
@xHollywoodx - People like you are so dumb.
1 2

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder