Aaron Pierre is expanding his role in DC Studios’ growing universe.
After making his debut as John Stewart / Green Lantern in HBO’s upcoming series Lanterns, Pierre will appear in DC Studios’ next Superman installment, Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to 2025’s Superman. The film is written and directed by James Gunn and is expected to begin production in Atlanta later this year.
Pierre’s appearance marks one of the first major crossovers between DC’s film and television projects under the studio’s new unified storytelling strategy.
The British actor will join returning stars David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The film’s story sees the longtime adversaries forced into an uneasy alliance to confront the technological alien threat Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.
Also returning from the first film are Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher. The sequel will again feature other DC heroes introduced in the franchise’s first chapter, including Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.
Pierre’s involvement signals DC Studios’ intent to weave together its on-screen universe, allowing characters introduced on television to transition directly into major theatrical releases.
‘Lanterns’ Introduces John Stewart
Before meeting Superman on the big screen, Pierre will first debut as John Stewart in the HBO drama Lanterns, premiering in August.
The series centers on Stewart, a newly recruited Green Lantern, and veteran Lantern Hal Jordan as they investigate a mysterious murder in the American heartland that begins to uncover a far larger conspiracy tied to the DC Universe.
Pierre stars opposite Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. The ensemble cast also includes Nathan Fillion reprising Guy Gardner, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Sherman Augustus, Nicole Ari Parker, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, Jason Ritter, Chris Coy, Paul Ben-Victor, Cary Christopher, and Laura Linney.
Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, the series blends superhero mythology with a grounded crime thriller tone. Mundy also serves as showrunner, while the pilot is directed by James Hawes.
Aaron Pierre’s Rising Hollywood Profile
Pierre has steadily built one of the most notable résumés among rising actors in Hollywood. His credits include the Netflix action thriller Rebel Ridge, portraying Malcolm X in Nat Geo’s Genius: MLK/X, and starring in The Underground Railroad from director Barry Jenkins.
He also previously appeared in the DC series Krypton as Dev-Em, voiced Mufasa in Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King, and most recently appeared in Sony Pictures Animation’s Goat.
Pierre is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, Hamilton Hodell, Sloane Offer and Narrative.
A Larger Role in the DC Universe
The casting positions Pierre’s John Stewart as a key figure in the evolving DC Universe. Stewart is one of the most prominent members of the Green Lantern Corps — an intergalactic peacekeeping force that protects sectors of the universe using powerful rings capable of creating constructs fueled by willpower.
With Lanterns introducing the character on television and Man of Tomorrow bringing him into Superman’s orbit, DC Studios appears poised to place the character at the center of its expanding interconnected storytelling.
Man of Tomorrow is currently scheduled to hit theaters July 9, 2027, following the debut of Lanterns on HBO this August.