When one of your favorite movie directors suddenly decides to roast you publicly, most people probably won’t be framing the quote for their living room wall. However, it seems Quentin Tarantino’s harsh words about Matthew Lillard have had a skyrocketing effect on the actor’s career. In this rare case, the backlash has worked in his favor, so much so that fans are calling it the Lillaissance. After landing multiple roles in the last few months, Lillard is now also joining James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow.
When Tarantino quipped that he didn’t care too much for Lillard’s acting during a viral interview on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast in 2025, fans and filmmakers came out swinging for the Shaggy actor online, with many defending his performances. Since then, Lillard has appeared in Scream 7, Amazon Prime Video’s Cross, Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and has five upcoming projects listed on his IMDB page. That’s a lot considering he has been mostly subjected to smaller roles in recent years.
While we’re sure he is enjoying the Lillaissance, Lillard told People magazine that Tarantino’s words “sucked”. “I think he’s a lovely filmmaker, and to just sort of get punched in the mouth just was kind of a bummer,” he added.
But after mentioning that he’d love to appear in the DCU and work with his friend James Gunn during a Los Angeles Comic Con panel, Gunn granted him his wish. Lillard will join the huge cast of Man of Tomorrow that includes actors and actresses like David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Adria Arjona, Rachel Brosnahan, Aaron Pierre, Nathan Fillion, Sara Sampaio, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Skyler Gisondo, and Lars Eidinger.
Who will he play? We don’t know yet. But Deadline announced that he’ll be on set soon.
It’s been a long journey for the Scooby-Doo actor, but we’re glad that he’s finally getting his props. Also, anybody giving Tarantino credit for this resurgence probably needs to calm down a bit. Lillard’s role in Twin Peaks: The Return alone proved he could still walk into a scene and completely wreck your nerves
Superman: Man of Tomorrow hits theaters July 9, 2027.
