After much suspense about the casting for James Gunn’s anticipated Superman: Legacy film, we finally know more about who’s playing the movie’s main villain, Lex Luthor. Nicholas Hoult is set to be cast as Superman’s most iconic antagonist.
Ironically enough, he lost the role of Superman to David Corenswet. Hoult did end up as one of the finalists to be considered for the Superman role, but sources say that he tried out for Lex Luthor as well.
The negotiations were already happening back in May. However now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, Warner Brothers are adamant in pushing through and sealing the deal with casting Hoult.
If this is to go through, he will be part of a prestigious list of legendary actors who portrayed the iconic villain. Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, and, most recently, Jesse Eisenberg have all portrayed Lex Luthor in previous renditions over the years.
More About Nicholas Hoult
You may have some doubts about whether or not the British actor is capable of acting as the nefarious villain. As a matter of fact, there is also Jesse Eisenberg’s controversially misdirected take on the character. Thankfully, Hoult has had many experiences in the superhero genre, unlike his predecessor. Most famously, he acted as a young version of X-Men’s Beast in the recent run of X-Men movies since 2011.
He’s also had experience playing a character from the villain’s side of things in Mad Max: Fury Road, albeit turning good guy pretty quickly. On top of this, Hoult is known to have a flexible acting portfolio. He starred in films like Warm Bodies as a slow and meandering zombie and as a high-class deluded glutton in the arthouse film The Menu.
Superman: Legacy will be directed and written by Gunn. It is set to be the beginning of his planned vision for a new DC cinematic universe. The movie will be released on July 11, 2025. Thankfully, there have been no reports of delays despite the Hollywood strikes.
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