Superman: Legacy may be close to filling one of its crucial roles: Superman's most famous villain, Lex Luthor.
Deadline and THR report on Monday that Nicholas Hoult is in talks to play Luthor in James Gunn's upcoming film about the Man of Steel. It had previously been reported that Hoult was in talks back in May, but per Deadline's new report, the studio officially wants to push the deal with Hoult through now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended.
IGN has reached out to Warner Bros. and Hoult's reps for comment. WB had no comment to Deadline or THR.
Should the deal go through, Hoult would appear opposite David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, who were cast as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane respectively in June.
Interestingly enough, Hoult was at one point reportedly one of the actors in contention to play Superman - in May, THR reported that Hoult was being eyed for Luthor, while Deadline reported that Hoult was up for the role of Kent. According to THR's latest report, he was indeed one of the finalists for Superman, but threw his hat in the ring for Luthor as well.
Hoult would only be the latest actor to play Luthor, following in the line of actors like Gene Hackman (Superman II), Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns), and most recently on the big screen Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman, Justice League). The villain was also recently played by Michael Cudlitz in Superman & Lois, Titus Welliver in Titans, and Jon Cryer in Supergirl.
It also wouldn't be the first time Hoult appeared in a superhero movie, of course; he previously played Beast in the 2011-2019 X-Men films. His other credits include Mad Max: Fury Road, Renfield, The Menu, The Great, and Skins.
While Gunn was able to squeeze in announcing Corenswet and Brosnahan just before the SAG-AFTRA strike was called, he's been busy filling other roles in the movie since the work stoppage ended. Gunn confirmed last week that Animal Control and The Moodys' actress María Gabriela De Faría has been cast as The Engineer.
Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), and Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho) will also appear in Superman: Legacy. Gunn recently confirmed that the film, part of the first phase of his revamped DCU, will keep its July 11, 2025, release date despite the Hollywood strikes.
Thumbnail credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Jaeger-LeCoultre
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
