Quick TakeArticle at a glance
- James Gunn denied three DCU rumors in one Threads reply on Friday, October 16, 2026: Matt Reeves exiting The Batman Part II, Milly Alcock being fired from Supergirl, and Man of Tomorrow bombing a test screening.
- Gunn revealed he's showing DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran his first Man of Tomorrow director's cut that same day — a month ahead of schedule — and said no test screening has actually happened.
- The Alcock rumor started after she scrubbed Supergirl posts from her Instagram on Thursday; the Reeves rumor started after Steven Soderbergh stepped in to help shoot while Reeves handled a family matter.
James Gunn says three separate DCU rumors swirling this week are all false. Responding to a frustrated fan on Threads Friday, the DC Studios co-CEO denied that Matt Reeves left The Batman Part II, that Milly Alcock was fired from Supergirl, and that Man of Tomorrow bombed a test screening — then revealed he’s showing Peter Safran his first Man of Tomorrow director’s cut that same day, a month ahead of schedule.
Gunn posted the denial himself on Threads on Friday, October 16, 2026, after a fan vented about a run of misleading DCU headlines. It’s a direct statement from the person running DC Studios, not an anonymous insider.
What James Gunn Actually Wrote
A fan, tired of tracking rumor after rumor about DC Studios’ slate, asked Gunn point-blank whether any of it was true. He answered in one post, naming all three stories at once — the exchange was first reported by SuperHeroHype and ComicBook.com.
Oh brother. You guys just have to stop listening to BS, and I'm mostly done shooting down rumors as there are so many, and I'm not on here much. But all three of these couldn't be more false. I'm showing PETER SAFRAN my first Director's Cut today – he's the first person to see it obviously – and that's a month early.
James Gunn, DC Studios co-CEO, via Threads (October 16, 2026)
Rumor One: Matt Reeves Leaving The Batman Part II
The claim that Reeves had stepped away from directing The Batman Part II started after word spread that Steven Soderbergh was helping shoot part of the film while Reeves dealt with a family matter. Reeves had already addressed it directly on X before Gunn’s post, saying he was not leaving the project. Gunn’s reply backs that up: Reeves is still directing.
Rumor Two: Milly Alcock Fired From Supergirl
This one started Thursday, October 15, when Alcock quietly removed her Supergirl casting posts and related content from Instagram, as Cosmic Book News first noted. With no studio statement and no trade-press confirmation, fans filled the silence with a firing theory. Alcock still hasn’t commented publicly on why the posts came down, and neither has Gunn beyond folding the rumor into his denial — but he was unambiguous that she has not been fired.
Rumor Three: Man of Tomorrow Bombed a Test Screening
The most specific of the three claimed Man of Tomorrow had already screened for test audiences and scored badly, supposedly because of a dark ending that kills off a major hero. Gunn didn’t just call it false — he said no test screening has happened at all. What actually exists is his own first assembly of the film, cut together from footage shot between April and August 2026, which he was showing Safran for the first time that day.
Why the Test-Screening Rumor Never Added Up
Set the claim against Gunn’s own timeline and it falls apart. Man of Tomorrow wrapped principal photography in late August 2026, and its release is still roughly 9 months out, on July 9, 2027. By Gunn’s own account, the cut he assembled from that footage is his first cut, and October 16, 2026 was the first time anyone — including his own DC Studios co-CEO — saw it. A test screening puts a finished-enough cut in front of an outside audience to gauge their reaction. You can’t score badly with test audiences on a cut the studio’s own leadership hadn’t watched yet. There wasn’t one to bomb.
Gunn Has Been Doing a Lot of This Lately
This is Gunn’s second public rumor takedown about Man of Tomorrow in a month. In a Threads exchange on September 15, he shut down speculation about secret DC heroes cameoing in the film, writing that it’s “a movie about Lex and Clark” with no room for a stacked roster of surprise characters. He’s also personally knocked down claims that Batman: The Brave and the Bold was on hold. With Peacemaker Season 2, Supergirl, Clayface and now Man of Tomorrow all moving through production at once, DC Studios has a lot of moving parts for rumor mills to speculate about — and Gunn has made a habit of answering fans directly instead of letting a story sit unchallenged.
| Project | Rumor | Gunn’s Response | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Batman Part II | Matt Reeves exited as director | False — Reeves is directing; Soderbergh helped shoot while Reeves handled a family matter | In production |
| Supergirl | Milly Alcock fired as lead | False, per Gunn’s denial | Alcock still attached; no comment from her on the deleted posts |
| Man of Tomorrow | Bombed a test screening over a dark, deadly ending | False — no test screening has happened yet | First director’s cut shown to Peter Safran Oct. 16, 2026 |
What’s Confirmed About Man of Tomorrow
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Superman / Clark Kent | David Corenswet |
| Lex Luthor | Nicholas Hoult |
| Lois Lane | Rachel Brosnahan |
| Brainiac | Lars Eidinger |
Man of Tomorrow is the direct sequel to 2025’s Superman, written and directed by Gunn, and the fourth film in the current DC Universe. It’s set for release on July 9, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
What three rumors did James Gunn deny?
On Threads on October 16, 2026, James Gunn denied that Matt Reeves had left The Batman Part II, that Milly Alcock had been fired from Supergirl, and that Man of Tomorrow had bombed a test screening over a dark ending. He called all three “couldn’t be more false.”
Has Man of Tomorrow actually had a test screening?
No. Gunn said directly that what exists is his first director’s cut, which he showed DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran on October 16, 2026 — a month ahead of the original schedule. No audience test screening has taken place.
Why did people think Milly Alcock was fired from Supergirl?
Alcock removed her Supergirl casting posts and related content from Instagram on October 15, 2026. With no studio statement, fans assumed she’d been let go. Gunn’s post denies the firing, though neither Alcock nor Gunn has explained why the posts came down.
Is Matt Reeves still directing The Batman Part II?
Yes. Reeves addressed the rumor himself on X before Gunn’s post, confirming he hadn’t left the project; Steven Soderbergh stepped in to help shoot while Reeves handled a family matter.
When does Man of Tomorrow come out?
Man of Tomorrow is scheduled for release on July 9, 2027. It stars David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and Lars Eidinger, and is written and directed by James Gunn.
