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Reports are circulating that Man of Tomorrow director James Gunn is considering Andor actor Adria Arjuna for the role of Maxima in the Superman sequel. However, Gunn himself has debunked those rumors, calling them "crazy."
The reports, courtesy of Deadline, also initially named Marisa Abela and Ella Purnell as other candidates for Maxima. However, Gunn refuted the rumors so forcefully on social media that Deadline issued a retraction, altering their article to remove Abela and Purnell's names as Gunn says he's never even met them, let alone auditioned them for roles in the film.
"Deadline's reporting is shoddy & incorrect. I've always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism but that's not the case here so I'm frankly disappointed," Gunn posted on social media. "If someone would have run these names by us we would have said it's bullshit. I've been friends with Adria a long time since I cast her in the Belko Experiment. I'm a fan of both Marisa and Ella but I've never met either of them. Crazy."
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According to Deadline, the site did indeed reach out to DC, though the studio offered no comment. Gunn goes on to stress that he's not confirming Maxima is even in Man of Tomorrow, but that there is one role left to fill. That unnamed role may not even be a big part of the film, as Gunn says he's already announced casting for "every major role."
Maxima is an alien queen from the planet Almerac who comes to Earth seeking a mate, quickly settling on Superman as the only worthy option. Superman continuously rebuffs her advances, though Maxima does eventually reform away from haranguing him to become a Justice League member.
Some fans aren't convinced that the role reportedly being auditioned is even Maxima at all, speculating that the semi-obscure character could be a smokescreen for casting a new Wonder Woman, which is fueled by Gunn's previous comments that Arjona would be a good fit for the Amazon warrior.
I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)
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