James Gunn has finally slotted the last piece of his “Man of Tomorrow” casting puzzle—and it’s Adria Arjona stepping into the mystery role.
After several rounds of screen tests, Arjona has been chosen for the part in DC Studios’ sequel to Superman. For a while, it was previously reported that she might be playing comic anti-heroine Maxima, though right now nobody seems able to confirm if that’s actually the right character. DC Studios had no comment, which… honestly, makes the whole thing feel a bit like a locked-room mystery.
Misryoum newsroom reporting points to a recent run of screen tests in Atlanta earlier in April, where a quartet of finalists were evaluated, including Eva De Dominici, Sydney Chandler and Grace Van Patten. Arjona was among the mix, and now she’s the name that made it through.
On the bigger picture side, David Corenswet is back as Superman, and Nicholas Hoult is returning as Lex Luthor. The story also brings the enemies together—at least in how it’s being pitched—to take on Brainiac (Lars Eidinger). And it sounds like this won’t be one of those “new cast, who cares about the past” sequels. A slew of Superman stars are expected to return: Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner played by Nathon Fillion, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.
There’s also Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern John Stewart. If the casting rumor around Maxima does turn out to be true, it could push this outing in a more cosmic direction—because Maxima isn’t exactly a small, street-level problem. Writer Roger Stern and artist George Pérez introduced Maxima in the pages of Action Comics No. 645 in 1989. She’s an alien queen who has been both an antagonist and potential love interest for Superman. And yeah, that blend—danger plus emotional gravity—has its own pull. Kind of like when a room goes quiet and you realize something bigger just walked in.
Gunn wrote Man of Tomorrow with a July 9, 2027 release date. It’s the sequel to Superman, which grossed $618.7 million globally last year. DC Studios has Supergirl up next in June, with Clayface dated for Oct. 23 of this year, and The Batman: Part II set for October 2027. Arjona, meanwhile, last year appeared in the acclaimed second season of the Star Wars series Andor and starred with Dakota Johnson in the comedy Splitsville. She also has several high-profile movies in post-production, including Amazon MGM’s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, directed by Michael B. Jordan, and Onslaught, the latest thriller from Adam Wingard, among others.
One more detail that’s worth holding onto: Arjona is repped by CAA and Goodman Genow. And Misryoum editorial desk noted a correction—an earlier version incorrectly stated that Clayface will open in April. That’s it for now, though, because for the mystery role, we’re still left staring at the same unanswered question: Maxima… or something close enough to keep fans guessing.
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