James Gunn Debunks Maxima Casting Rumors for "Man of Tomorrow"
Posted on April 08, 2026 by Neil Cole
Director and DC Studios co‑head James Gunn today issued a direct rebuttal to recent reports published by Deadline regarding the casting of DC Comics character Maxima in the highly anticipated DC Studios motion picture, "Man of Tomorrow".
Deadline's article stated that actresses Marisa Abela, Ella Purnell and Adria Arjona were currently auditioning for the role of Maxima in the upcoming sequel to "Superman" (2025). Gunn took to social media to characterize those claims as inaccurate and to provide clarity on the film's casting status. In his own words:
"Deadline's reporting is shoddy & incorrect. I've always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism but that's not the case here so I'm frankly disappointed," Gunn wrote. "If someone would have run these names by us we would have said it's bulls***. I've been friends with Adria 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."
Gunn also addressed the character's place in the film, emphasizing that Maxima's inclusion remains unconfirmed and that casting for "Man of Tomorrow" is nearly complete, with only one role yet to be filled. He reiterated that the report's specifics do not reflect the current status of the production.
Deadline has since issued a partial retraction to their earlier report, explaining that the story went through "its normal editorial process in the newsgathering for this story." The revision has removed Abela and Purnell from consideration for the role of Maxima, but the outlet maintains that Arjona underwent a screentest last week, according to several anonymous sources.
"Man of Tomorrow" is scheduled to release on July 9th, 2027 and continues to build momentum as a cornerstone of DC Studios' evolving cinematic universe. The movie will see David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprising their respective roles as the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor, along with an expanded ensemble expected to confront a powerful threat in the narrative's next chapter.
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