Deadline Changes Tune on Man of Tomorrow Story After James Gunn Calls Their Reporting “Shoddy and Incorrect”

Deadline has updated a previous article about casting for James Gunn’s upcoming movie, Man of Tomorrow, after Gunn – who is in charge of the DC Universe – expressed his concerns. Earlier Tuesday, Deadline published a story, based on information from unnamed sources, that actress Adria Arjona was being considered for a role in the film.

Gunn quickly responded on social media to dispute a report from Deadline. He criticized their journalism as “poor and inaccurate,” saying he was disappointed with its quality. While Gunn frequently corrects rumors online, his strong criticism of a well-known industry publication is unusual.

A Questionable “Exclusive”

As previously reported by Deadline, actress Arjona was a candidate to play Maxima in the upcoming film. The character, who has been featured in comic books since 1990 and appeared in TV shows like Smallville and Supergirl, is portrayed as both an enemy and potential love interest for Superman. If included, this would be Maxima’s first time appearing in a major motion picture.

We followed our standard reporting and editing procedures when publishing the recent article about casting for the new ‘Superman’ movie, ‘Man of Tomorrow.’ We are now updating the story to reflect some additional information we’ve learned about the actors involved.

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) April 8, 2026

James Gunn has completed the script for his upcoming film, but it’s still unconfirmed whether actress Gal Gadot will reprise her role as Wonder Woman. Gunn previously mentioned that actress Karla Arjona would be a good fit for the character, but he cautioned fans against assuming anything based on him following her on social media.

This time, the rumors escalated because Deadline is an authoritative voice in the industry.

Gunn Calls Out Deadline

Gunn gave a direct and straightforward answer. He didn’t deny the rumor was circulating—even though the situation surrounding it is questionable. Instead, he immediately focused on how the news organization conducted its investigation.

James Gunn criticized a recent report by Deadline, calling it “shoddy & incorrect” in a Threads post. He said he previously respected Deadline’s journalism but was disappointed by this particular article. Gunn stated that if they had checked the information with him or his team, they would have quickly learned it was false. He clarified his relationship with actress Adria Arjona, noting they’ve been friends since she appeared in his film Belko Experiment, and that while he admires Marisa and Ella, he has never met them. He described the situation as “crazy.”

James Gunn’s strong disapproval drew attention to Deadline, leading the publication to respond to the disagreement publicly.

Deadline Walks Back Its Certainty

Deadline added a note to the article explaining that it followed its standard reporting procedures. They stated the article is being updated to reflect new information about the actors featured in the story.

Although the article is still available online, it’s lost its impact and unique status. More importantly, this situation could change how people view established news organizations. Regardless of whether Deadline was given false information by an agent or was the target of a hoax, they have a duty to confirm facts for their audience, and that trust has been damaged.

The recent controversy involving James Gunn shows how tricky it is for entertainment news outlets to be fast, first with a story, and accurate. It’s a lesson that even well-known publications need to carefully verify their facts and take responsibility for mistakes, because losing public trust can be very hard to recover from.

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2026-04-09 14:56