Sean Gunn Replaces Pedro Pascal As Maxwell Lord In DC Universe (Report)
James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the DC Universe, and fans still have many questions about the new slate of films. For starters, many may want to know who from the old regime will carry over into the new continuity. Gunn has already teased this possibility on social media, with it seeming very possible that Viola Davis could keep coming back as Amanda Waller. However, we now know one old character who's apparently getting recast in the process.
Deadline exclusively reported that Sean Gunn will play supervillain Maxwell Lord, previously played by Pedro Pascal in "Wonder Woman 1984," in the DCU. Despite the fact he lived at the end of the movie, it seems like the character's getting a redo. That is probably for the best as Maxwell Lord would be much older in the present day if James Gunn kept "WW84" canon in his universe.
Sean Gunn is obviously James Gunn's brother and has been a routine fixture in his projects over the years. Most recently, he played Kraglin in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, all of which were helmed by James.
It's unclear if Maxwell Lord will appear physically in Superman: Legacy
The first movie set within the new DCU is "Superman: Legacy," directed by James Gunn. While news of the casting would suggest Maxwell Lord will appear in that film, Deadline casts doubt on it. The report reads, "It's not clear if Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord will make a cameo in brother Gunn's 'Superman: Legacy' which will go into production next year. The character, as I hear it, will be referenced in the background of 'Legacy' but will appear in future DC projects. A similar motif will occur for other characters in the new DC Universe."
"Superman: Legacy" already boasts a pretty impressive cast, with Nathan Fillion playing Green Lantern Guy Gardner and Isabela Merced playing Hawkgirl, alongside numerous others. It's possible these could be more background roles that don't influence the plot too greatly, just setting them up to have larger roles down the line. That would make sense for "Legacy," especially as it pertains to the villainous Lord. After all, Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor, who's probably going to be the big bad of the film.
Besides, having Maxwell Lord in a movie with Lex Luthor may be a bit redundant, seeing as how both of their main superpowers involve being rich. Lord does develop psychic powers in the comics, something that was missing in his portrayal in "Wonder Woman 1984," so there's a chance James Gunn would want to explore that further. Who knows? Maybe Lord and Luthor are on the board of directors for some organization together. But James Gunn clearly has a giant master plan for all of this that rivals those of the greatest supervillains in DC lore.