MAN OF TOMORROW Set Photos Reveal First Look at Van Kull Maximum Security Prison
Production is officially underway on Man of Tomorrow, and now we’ve got our first peek at one of the film’s key locations. Director James Gunn confirmed filming has kicked off, sharing a behind-the-scenes image straight from Van Kull Maximum Security Prison, along with a partially hidden look at the film’s logo.
Not long after, additional set photos surfaced online, giving fans a clearer idea of how this infamous prison will look in the DC Universe.
The images show a real-world building standing in for Van Kull, a facility that’s about to play a major role in the story. While it’s unclear if full-scale filming has begun outside, the location itself already feels like a fitting home for some of DC’s most dangerous minds.
That includes Lex Luthor, played once again by Nicholas Hoult, who fans last saw locked up in Belle Reve at the end of Superman. That didn’t last long.
Lex apparently strikes a deal with Rick Flag Sr., trading valuable intel about the Quantum Unfolding Chamber tech used by Christopher Smith in Peacemaker Season 2 in exchange for a transfer to Van Kull. It’s a move that screams long game.
Speaking of Flag, Frank Grillo shared a video confirming he’s starting work on his scenes, and based on what we know, his role won’t be small. Grillo previously revealed that Rick Flag Sr., who took a darker turn in Peacemaker, will have a significant presence in this next chapter.
The story itself sounds like it’s leaning hard into uneasy alliances. During CinemaCon, David Corenswet teased that the film explores what it means to “save the world with your sworn enemy,” while Hoult added, “Man of Tomorrow continues the Superman Saga with a new villain, and an unlikely alliance.”
That alliance? Superman and Lex Luthor. The film centers on the Man of Steel, played by Corenswet, teaming up with Luthor to stop Brainiac, portrayed by Lars Eidinger. It’s a interesting setup that flips the usual dynamic and puts both characters in unfamiliar territory.
Gunn summed it up best: “At its core, it’s about Clark and Lex. I relate to both of them. I relate to Lex’s ambition and obsession — minus the murder. And I relate to Superman’s belief in people, his Midwestern values. They’re two sides of me.”
Rachel Brosnahan is back as Lois Lane, alongside Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Maria Gabriela de Faria as The Engineer. On top of that, Aaron Pierre returns as John Stewart, and Adria Arjona joins the cast as Maxima.
Between the prison setting, the uneasy team-up, and Brainiac looming as the big threat, Man of Tomorrow is shaping up to be a very different kind of Superman story.
The film is set to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.