Director James Gunn’s plans to add more star power to his Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, continue. DC Studios co-heads are currently casting the role of the alien queen Maxima, the Kryptonian superhero’s antagonist and potential lover.
Sources have confirmed to Variety that the finalists for the coveted role are Adria Arjona (Andor), Eva De Dominici (The Cleaning Lady), Sydney Chandler (Alien: Earth), and Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Rise). The actresses are testing for the role and a deal is on the horizon as filming begins on the film in Atlanta late next week.
DC Studios declined to comment.
Superman: Man of Tomorrow, written and directed by Gunn, is scheduled for release on July 9, 2027. David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult return as the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor. But this time, the legendary foes are forced to work together to defeat an even greater threat: the superintelligent adversary Brainiac (played by German star Lars Eidinger).
Aaron Pierre also joins the super-ensemble cast, which already includes Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher), Isabella Merced (Hawkgirl), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner), and Eddie Gategi (Mr. Terrific). But before that, Pierre will make his debut at DC Studios as Green Lantern John Stewart in the HBO series The Lantern, where he will coincidentally play opposite Kyle Chandler, Chandler’s father.
Last summer, Gunn and Peter Safran brought back Superman and his reporter alter ego Clark Kent in a high-flying yet surprisingly sentimental adventure that launched a new DC Universe and grossed $618 million worldwide. “Man of Tomorrow” continues the action in “Supergirl,” starring Millie Alcock as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El. (Corenswet appears in a bit role.) The film, directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, will be released in theaters on June 26th.
Arjona’s name has been bandied about among DC fans before. Reports had speculated that she was being cast as Wonder Woman, but Gunn poured cold water on the hot gossip.
“I follow Adria on Instagram, and people came out[and thought]’Well, he just followed her, which means she’s Wonder Woman.’ By the way, she’d be a great Wonder Woman,” Gunn told Extra, referring to his casting of Arjona in the 2016 film The Belko Experiment. “We’ve been friends since then and knew each other. I followed her then. I didn’t just follow her.”
With that in mind, Arjona, who gave a standout performance in the Star Wars series “Andor,” is no stranger to the world of genre entertainment. She also proved her versatility with comedic turns in Netflix’s “Hitman” and Neon’s “Splitsville.” Arjona will next be seen opposite Michael B. Jordan in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair for Amazon MGM Studios. She is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Goodman Genow.
De Dominici previously starred in the Fox drama “The Cleaning Lady,” and will next be seen in the Peter Farrelly-directed comedy “Balls Up,” which will be released on April 15th on Prime Video. She is repped by Gersh, Twelve Entertainment, Untitled Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson.
Chandler plays the humanoid robot Wendy on the FX series Alien: Earth. The show, created by “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley, is slated for a second season. She is repped by UTA and Jackoway Austin.
Van Patten is best known for starring in the Hulu soap opera series “Tell Me Rise,” and also played Amanda Knox in the streamer’s limited series “Amanda Knox’s Twisted Tale.” She is repped by WME, Brookside Artist Management, and Sloan Offer.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the list of finalists.
