Could The DCU Have Found Its New Wonder Woman?
Man of Tomorrow just found its final piece — and there’s no way it’s not the Princess of Themyscira.
Ah, the breathless casting of a new superhero movie. There’s nothing quite like it, especially for something as new, buzzy, and make-or-break as the new DC Universe. James Gunn managed to do the impossible with Superman, casting a perfect Man of Steel, a Lois Lane that seemed plucked from the pages of DC comics, and a Lex Luthor that was just subversive enough to really work. Despite that strong foundation, though, he has to do it all over again with its fast-approaching sequel, Man of Tomorrow... and potentially build out the Justice League in the process.
All eyes have been on Gunn as he rounds up the cast for the next installment of the Superman saga. The upcoming film is set to be a two-hander between David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor; the disparate forces will likely be forced to team up against a bigger threat, Braniac (Lars Eidinger). They’ll be joined by the cast of Superman, as well as Aaron Pierre, who will first debut as John Stewart in HBO’s Lanterns. If that ensemble seems crowded, that’s because it is, but Gunn revealed recently that there was one piece of the puzzle still missing — and Andor star Adria Arjona just filled it.
Arjona is moving from a galaxy far away to the DC Universe.
Arjona’s name has been floating around the new DCU for a while now. The actress is one of the more popular fancasts for Wonder Woman; that she’s also worked with Gunn before, in 2016’s The Belko Experiment, makes the chances of a reunion that much stronger. But Gunn has spent the better half of the year denying that Arjona would have any part in the new DCU. Even when Deadline revealed that she was testing for a mystery role in Man of Tomorrow alongside Fallout’s Ella Purnell and Industry’s Marisa Abela, the writer-director was quick to call those claims “bulls***.” Such a strong reaction usually means a nerve has been struck, of course. Gunn was lying through his teeth, and obviously for good reason.
While Deadline suggested that Arjona was among the hopefuls to play Maxima, an alien warrior queen who takes an obsessive liking to Superman, the truth might be a bit juicier. Borys Kit and Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter confirmed today that Arjona has, in fact, won a role in Man of Tomorrow — but whether she’s actually playing Maxima is currently “unknown.” Gunn has neither confirmed nor denied that Maxima would be in his upcoming film at all, so Arjona could be playing anyone (even, as Inverse’s own Ryan Britt posits, a deeper cut like Ursa). And if she could be playing anyone, why not Wonder Woman, after all?
Arjona could very well be joining the DCU as Maxima — but it’s not too late to pray for Wonder Woman.
For the record, it wouldn’t be a total loss if Arjona goes on to play Maxima. She’s kind of like Superman’s own version of Catwoman: the ruler of the militant planet Almerac, Maxima is attracted to power, making Superman an ideal mate with whom she could co-rule. It’s also worth noting that she teams up with Braniac in the 1992 crossover “Panic in the Sky,” a storyline that Gunn could be taking major inspiration from for Man of Tomorrow. It all makes her potential role in Man of Tomorrow just that much more plausible, but the Maxima of it all could just as easily be a misdirect.
Chatty as Gunn is on social media, the filmmaker is loath to reveal anything before he’s ready. He’s been especially cagey about the casting process of Man of Tomorrow, and that could be because the film is hiding something big. After all, Warner Bros. chief David Zaslav did claim that DC Studios would be “fast-tracking” a Wonder Woman movie after the success of Superman. It’s hard not to hope for a glimpse of the Princess of Themyscira, even if Man of Tomorrow is the story of Superman and Lex. It hasn’t been that long since DC delivered a Wonder Woman movie, but the disappointment of WW84, paired with the dissolution of the old DC universe, calls for a rebuild. And who better to take up the task than Arjona, whose understated, steely, and empathic performance in Andor felt like an audition for Diana Prince in all but name?
Until Gunn outright confirms Arjona’s role in Man of Tomorrow, this all remains wishful thinking. There’s a chance that the actress is playing a different character entirely — but it’d be really exciting if early speculation was right all along.
