James Gunn recently confirmed what everyone assumed about how long Jason Momoa was being considered to play Lobo in the DCU. In December 2024, Momoa was announced as the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo for the DCU in Supergirl: 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 before Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hit 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.

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James Gunn and Peter Safran were officially announced as the heads of DC Studios on October 25, 2022. That was fourteen months before Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would be released. The press tour for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom notably 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, with Momoa 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 December 30, 2024, just a little over a year after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opened 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 Oct. 25, 2022, 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 before Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opened a year later. The actor might 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 in Creature 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 the DCU Chapter 1 Gods and Monsters lineup in January 2023, he confirmed there were more projects in development that they hadn’t announced. Since then, titles like Clayface and Sgt. Rock has joined the slate, while previously announced movies like The Authority or television series like Booster Gold are now on the back burner. With Momoa set to make his debut as Lobo in Supergirl: 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)