Nicholas Hoult to Play Lex Luthor in ‘Superman: Legacy’

Per a report from Deadline, Nicholas Hoult has been cast to play the DCU’s Lex Luthor in James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy. The Mad Max: Fury Road actor was in the running to play Superman and auditioned for the role, but it ultimately went for David Corenswet, who is set to lead the film alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

Hoult is no stranger to superhero entertainment, as he previously played a young version of Hank McCoy/Beast in the X-Men movies, from X-Men: First Class to Dark Phoenix.

Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Anthony Carrigan, and Edi Gathegi were announced to be part of the cast before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, with María Gabriela De Faría as the first actor to join the film after the strike ended.

Hoult will be the fourth actor to bring Lex Luthor to life on the big screen, with Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, and Jesse Eisenberg portraying different iterations of the character across the years. On the small screen, Michael Rosenbaum is arguably the best-known actor for having played Lex Luthor in Smallville, alongside Tom Welling as Clark Kent.

With the strike over, James Gunn has confirmed that Superman: Legacy will be released as planned on July 11, 2025, with production slated to begin early next year.

Source: Deadline