On December 20, James Gunn announced on social media that German actor Lars Eidinger will play Brainiac in the upcoming film "Superman: Legacy" — a direct sequel to "Superman" in 2025.
At the same time, fans noticed that there is still no official news about the casting of "The Batman Part II", despite rumors of Scarlett Johansson's possible participation. This looks especially strange given that the film is also scheduled for release in 2027.
Answering a question about the reasons for this decision, Gunn explained that the announcement about Brainiac was made in advance to get ahead of a possible leak.
"\"The Batman 2\" is a DC Studios film, and Peter and I are producing it. But, as a rule, we don't make big announcements about projects that aren't even in production. The story with Lars and Brainiac is an exception because we knew the information would come out anyway."
Thus, the decision was more of a forced measure than a marketing ploy.
"Superman: Legacy" is scheduled for release in July 2027, and "The Batman Part II" in October 2027. Production of both films should begin in parallel in the spring of 2026.