Jennifer Holland calls Man of Tomorrow James Gunn’s “best movie” yet, even before filming ends

Jennifer Holland, the Peacemaker star, is already describing James Gunn’s Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, as a major step up. In a comment to GamesRadar+ at a screening of Supergirl, Holland said she has seen an “enormous, enormous portion of the movie” and that she is “so excited” for the release. Her pitch is blunt even if she is still sorting through how to say it: “It might be James’s best… my favorite movie of James, and I haven’t even seen the whole thing yet.”

The money angle here is that Holland also frames it as incremental improvement, not just hype. “It feels like a step up to me in a lot of ways,” she said, while adding that Gunn is “not done filming it yet.” That timing matters. In blockbuster pipelines, pre-release sentiment is not a formal metric, but it is a real input into how studios, partners, and talent teams think about risk, momentum, and whether the next tentpole can change the trajectory of the brand.

Let’s pin down what Holland is talking about. Man of Tomorrow, written and directed by James Gunn, stars David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The plot centers on the pair teaming up to take down supervillain Braniac, played by Babylon Berlin star Lars Eidinger. The film is also set to include Supergirl, and Holland’s comments land in that same DC ecosystem moment where Supergirl is “in theaters now.”

Now, zoom out to why this particular endorsement lands with extra weight for executives. Studios do not just ship movies, they manage expectations across a whole stack: distribution partners, marketing teams, exhibitors, and the internal pressure of a shared franchise narrative. When a lead actor from a separate, but connected, DC property praises a future Superman entry before the director has completed filming, it signals confidence in both creative execution and on-screen tone. Holland is not talking about a finalized cut. She is talking about what she has seen so far, which implies she is reacting to core storytelling and production craft, not just a finished marketing package.

There is also a second-order implication inside the Gunn universe. Holland added that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 might be her favorite Gunn movie. If that is in her internal hierarchy, then her suggestion that Man of Tomorrow could be even better is a high bar. It tells you what kind of creative outcome she expects, and that helps explain why decision-makers will care. When a filmmaker has a “favorite” among past successes, the strategic question becomes whether the next film can match the emotional payoff that drove earlier audience response, not just whether it can perform financially.

For people tracking release planning, production sequencing, and slate-level budgeting, the calendar piece is simple but consequential: Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9, 2027. That is far enough out to allow for marketing build-up, but close enough that early-course corrections can still happen if the project needs it. Holland’s “step up” framing, paired with the fact that filming is still ongoing, suggests the production is not in a late-stage scramble. That kind of signal can influence how teams think about momentum going into marketing approvals and partner alignment.

The GamesRadar+ article also notes that there is no word yet on whether Holland will appear as Emilia Harcourt in the Superman sequel, with an explicit reference to rumors and uncertainty around whether Peacemaker will return for a third season. That uncertainty is not a trivia detail. It matters because shared universe casting is a lever for fan retention. When cross-property appearances are possible but not confirmed, executives must weigh two risks at once: committing to marketing that assumes a connection, or holding back until the production story is clearer. In other words, the DCU has both creative and operational dependencies, and actors’ comments can add signal but not certainty.

Finally, the strategic stakes for peers in similar roles are straightforward. If Holland’s reaction reflects what other participants have been seeing, Man of Tomorrow has a path to being more than “just another superhero sequel.” It can be a confidence reset for a franchise that needs consistent highs, not intermittent wins. For studio leadership and board members, the question is whether the project can deliver the creative quality signal that talent is already describing, while staying on track toward a 2027 theater launch. Early feedback like this does not guarantee box office. But in a business where slates rise or fall on perceived execution, “step up” before filming ends is the kind of signal that gets attention in meetings.