Director and DC exec James Gunn announced on social media Saturday that he has cast German actor Lars Eidinger to play the villain Brainiac in his Superman sequel film “Man of Tomorrow.”
“In our worldwide search for Brainiac, The Man of Tomorrow finds Lars Eidinger at the top,” Gunn wrote on his blog. his Instagram account. “Welcome to the DCU, Lars.”
Eidinger, 49, may be relatively unknown to North American audiences, but he can currently be seen in George Clooney and Adam Sandler's Jay Kelly, which is streaming on Netflix.
His other film and television roles include Babylon Berlin, All the Light We Cannot See, High Life, Tim Burton's Dumbo, My Little Sister, Dying, Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, White Noise and Irma Vep. Eidinger is also a rapper, musician and DJ.
Despite being at the top of Superman's rogues' gallery, The Man of Tomorrow marks the first time Brainiac will be shown live on the big screen. “Man of Tomorrow” will see Superman (David Corenswet) and his nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) team up to protect Earth from Brainiac.
Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, Brainiac debuted in 1958's Action Comics #242. He is a genius alien android who was originally a scientist from the planet Kolu named Vril Dox.
“But now he exists as a cyborg with a series of super-powered bodies to rely on. Already devilishly smart, Brainiac has made it his mission to collect all the knowledge that exists in the universe,” explains IGN's Jesse Schedeen in his article. Why Brainiac Makes Sense to Play Man of Tomorrow's Main Villain.
“Brainiac's brutal modus operandi consists of traveling to different worlds and seizing cities as his personal souvenirs. He compresses them and bottles them up for his collection, and then destroys what remains of the conquered civilization. One of Brainiac's greatest prizes is Kandor, a relic of the former Krypton. In some versions of the Superman mythos, it is Brainiac who causes the destruction of Krypton after stealing Kandor.
Man of Tomorrow will begin filming next year for release on July 9, 2027.
What do you think of the casting of James Gunn as Brainiac? Let us know in the comments.
