Nicholas Hoult will be joining the DCU with Superman, where he will play Lex Luthor. The arch-nemesis of Clark Kent has been played by several actors including Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Rosenbaum, and Gene Hackman in the past. However, a new image of Hoult as Lex released by James Gunn proves why he was the perfect casting for the role.
Hoult has been on a roll lately with incredible roles in films such as Nosferatu and Juror No.2 and his heel turn as Lex Luthor will only make things interesting. Apart from the comic-accurate look and the expression he has in the new image released by Gunn, one part of Hoult’s milieu makes him the perfect man for the role.
Nicholas Hoult looks pitch-perfect in the role of Lex Luthor in Superman
Nicholas Hoult has been in the superhero genre before. Starting from X-Men: First Class, the actor played Hank McCoy a.k.a Beast in the X-Men prequels till Dark Phoenix. After portraying multiple good-guy characters in films such as Juror No.2, The Menu, Nosferatu, and more, Hoult is finally turning heel in Superman.
Hoult will play the genius criminal mind Lex Luthor against David Corenswet’s Superman in James Gunn’s upcoming reboot and DCU kickstarter. The actor first reportedly auditioned for Superman before being offered the role of Lex Luthor instead. After revealing his look in the first teaser trailer, Gunn released an on-set photo of Hout as Luther (via Instagram).
In the black and white photo, Hoult looks perfect as Superman’s arch-nemesis, bringing in the anger and arrogance that is the signature of the character. However, one secret tool may have led him to embody the character’s hate for Superman even more authentically.
Hoult had also auditioned for Matt Reeves’ The Batman and lost the role to Robert Pattinson. The anger over losing two primary roles in the DCU might give him great motivation to be angry at the franchise’s two most important heroes, especially Superman.
Nicholas Hoult credited James Gunn for easing him in during the Superman audition
The audition process is often grueling and when it comes to blockbuster films based on popular IPs, the pressure is on the next level. Hoult probably felt it when he auditioned for Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which he reportedly had to do a week after it became public that Pattinson was in serious talks to play the Caped Crusader.
While Hoult initially went in to play Superman, he was later given the role of Lex Luthor in James Gunn’ss DCU. However, Hoult said that Gunn, knowing that he went through The Batman audition, made the whole process easier. He said on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast,
James Gunn is such a fantastic director and I was so excited by what he was building at DC. When we spoke — because they knew I had been through [the Batman] process — they didn’t want me to necessarily have to go through that again. That was very kind of them. There was an element of them being like, ‘We like you as an actor. We want you to be in this world.’
Hoult also mentioned that when he read the script before he was cast in the role, he felt he should probably try for Lex Luthor too as he was attracted by the part. When Gunn eventually told him they were looking at him for the role, he reportedly cackled.
Superman is set to release on July 11, 2025.
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