Frank Grillo Confirms Rick Flag Sr. Is Heading Back to Metropolis for ‘Man of Tomorrow’ in New Shredded Photo

Frank Grillo is not done with the DC Universe, and he wants everyone to know it. The actor took to social media with a shirtless mirror selfie that sent fans into a frenzy, captioning the post with a direct message to James Gunn and the DCU accounts, declaring he was “headed back to Metropolis” with all the swagger the character demands. The hashtags said everything, with #RickFlag front and center alongside tags for Gunn and the official Superman pages.

The timing lines up perfectly, as Grillo also posted a video to Instagram captioned “Back in the ATL for the next adventure,” confirming he was heading to Atlanta and getting ready for day one on ‘Man of Tomorrow’. In the clip, he told fans he was straight off the plane and into the gym, adding that he “couldn’t be more excited” to get back to work on the Superman sequel.

Principal photography on ‘Man of Tomorrow‘ officially kicked off on April 20, with filming taking place primarily at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia, as well as locations in the United Kingdom and Cincinnati, Ohio. Grillo is set to shoot his scenes across a ten-week period split between the UK and Georgia, with the film expected to wrap production by mid-2026.

The sequel brings back David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, centering on an unlikely team-up between the two to face the threat of Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger following a worldwide casting search. Adria Arjona also joins the cast, reportedly as Maxima. Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced, and Aaron Pierre are among the returning names filling out the roster.

This marks Grillo’s third appearance in the greater DC Universe, after his role in the 2025 ‘Superman’ film and a much more substantial turn in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2, where Rick Flag Sr. hunted down Christopher Smith over the death of his son. Grillo has previously spoken about the character’s trajectory, confirming that Flag Sr. takes over from Viola Davis as the leader of A.R.G.U.S., essentially becoming “almost an administrator” in the broader structure of the DCU.

In a conversation with Screen Rant, Grillo made clear that his expanded role in ‘Man of Tomorrow’ connects directly to his arc in ‘Peacemaker’, describing the two projects as “connective tissue” and praising Gunn for sending fully completed scripts from day one with, as Grillo put it, “not a word changed.”

DC Studios has set a release date of July 9, 2027 for ‘Man of Tomorrow’, with the new series ‘Lanterns’ set to premiere in August 2026 to help bridge the gap for fans hungry for more of the expanding universe. If Grillo’s energy on social media is any indication, Rick Flag Sr. is coming into this chapter with a lot more to say, and the DCU is clearly building toward something much bigger for the character.