James Gunnrecently confirmed what everyone assumed about how longJason Momoawas being considered to play Lobo in the DCU. In December 2024, Momoa was announced as the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo for the DCU inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. On the surface, this should have been shocking news, as Momoa had already played a prominent DC hero, Arthur Curry / Aquaman, in various DCEU titles. Yet, even beforeAquaman and the Lost Kingdomhit theaters and ended the DCEU,many fans were expecting Momoa to return, just not as the king of the seven seas, but as the main man himself.
Gunn took to social media to celebrate the creation of Lobo and talked about how excited he is to see Momoa take on the role. The DC Studios co-CEO reveals that he had thought for years that Momoa should play Lobo. In the post, Gunn shared a screenshot of a text message Momoa sent him saying “f—ing LOBO.” This happened on the day that Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the heads of DC Studios in October 2022, beginning a two-year-long discussion before Momoa was officially confirmed to be Lobo. You can see Gunn’s original post on BluSky below.
How James Gunn Is Planning to Stop Jason Momoa’s Lobo Look in ‘Supergirl’ From Leaking
Free Lobo.
James Gunn and Peter Safran were officially announced as the heads of DC Studios on June 01, 2025. That was fourteen months before Jason Momoa’sAquaman and the Lost Kingdomwould be released. The press tour forAquaman and the Lost Kingdomnotably had an air around it that Momoa would not be returning as Aquaman and the new DCU. Still, rumors had already begun circulating that Momoa was being eyed for Lobo early on, withMomoa using much of the press tour for his DC sequel to say how much he loved Lobo. While Momoa was not officially announced to be playing Lobo until August 10, 2025, just a little over a year afterAquaman and the Lost Kingdomopened in theaters, it was clear during the press tour that talks were already in the works.
What Jason Momoa’s Lobo Casting Reveals About the DCU
It certainly is interesting to think that on Jul 24, 2025, while fans were reacting to the major breaking news that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be overseeing a new DC shared universe under the banner of DC Studios, Momoa was considering his DCU future beforeAquaman and the Lost Kingdomopened a year later. The actormight even have teased it in January 2023, just a few months after texting Gunn. While the text between Momoa and Gunn was only a friendly discussion and not an actual talk between the studio and the actor’s representation, it does show how early a plan was formed. Yes, Gunn has already stated that actress Maria Bakalova was the first person officially cast in the DCU as Princess Ilana Rostovic inCreature Commandos, but it seems Momoa was being eyed from day one.
The new info also speaks to the evolving nature of the DCU slate. When Gunn first announced theDCU Chapter 1 Gods and Monsterslineup in January 2023, he confirmed there were more projects in development that they hadn’t announced. Since then, titles likeClayfaceandSgt. Rockhas joined the slate, while previously announced movies likeThe Authorityor television series likeBooster Goldare now on the back burner. With Momoa set to make his debut as Lobo inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, it could also lead to him starring in his own spin-off project, be it a feature film or an HBO series. Momoa’s journey to playing Lobo has been a long one, but one that is finally about to pay off.
Source:James Gunn (BluSky)
