James Gunn denies: Fallout star will not be in Superman sequel at the cinema

Ella Purnell was rumored to play Maxima in Man of Tomorrow. But the director categorically denies this.

Rumor and denial.

James Gunn cut short speculation surrounding Superman and its sequel, provisionally titled Man of Tomorrow.

While several names were circulating to play Maxima in the next DC Universe film, the boss of DC Studios brushed the information aside.

The project, expected in 2027, will bring back David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. And in recent days, the very serious Deadline announced the arrival in the story of Maxima, a cult character from DC comics who appeared at the end of the 80s, a queen with ambiguous morality, an alien conqueror and in love with Superman, whom she considers to be the only man worthy of becoming her husband and her king… Three actresses were visibly in the running for the role: Marisa Abela (heroine of the series Industry from HBO), Adria Arjona (seen in Star Wars: Andrew) and especially Ella Purnell, the star of the huge hit series Fallout from Prime Video. Deadline even said that screen tests had started, suggesting the process was very advanced.

Except no.

On Threads, James Gunn debunked the information: “The Deadline article is sloppy and inaccurate. I always thought Deadline was pretty rigorous journalism, but that’s not the case here, and I’m frankly disappointed. If we had been given these names, we would have said they were nonsense. I’ve been friends with Adria for a long time, ever since I hired her for the film Belko Experiment. I like Marisa and Ella, but I’ve never met them. It’s crazy!“

And Maxima in all this? There, James Gunn refuses to confirm the presence of the character in the film: “I absolutely do not confirm this (and I never have)”Gunn replied.

On the story side, the details remain locked, but one thing is already circulating: Superman and Lex Luthor should be forced to ally against a greater threat, possibly Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.

Release scheduled for July 7, 2027 in cinemas in France.