The DCU is set to kickoff with Superman: Legacy. The upcoming comic book movie from writer and director James Gunn will introduce a new iteration of Superman and several other fan-favorite characters. Now it looks like actor Nicholas Hoult will be playing supervillain Lex Luthor in the film.
This news was shared by Deadline. Hoult follows the announcements that David Corenswet will be playing Superman aka Clark Kent in the film, while Rachel Brosnahan would star opposite as Lois Lane.
The casting process for Lex Luthor, which Nicholas Hoult ultimately won, began immediately after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended. Additionally, the publication notes that María Gabriela de Faría will be playing another villain – The Engineer – in the film.
It’s clear that Gunn will be introducing a number of heroes and villains in this new Superman film, and it’ll be interesting to see how they all work together. Especially with a new cinematic universe on the horizon.
Nicholas Hoult’s filmography includes performances in the hit films X-Men: First Class, Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road, and the recently-released Renfield where he starred alongside Nicolas Cage. As for the character he’ll be portraying this time around, Lex Luthor, the iconic supervillain was previously played by the likes of Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, and Jesse Eisenberg.
Superman: Legacy is certainly shaping up to be an interesting film. Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over, we’ll hopefully have more news shared regarding the film’s cast and upcoming production. Especially as it’s still intended to meet its original 2025 release date despite the strike having caused some delays in casting.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the production of Superman: Legacy as we have them. For now, the highly-anticipated superhero blockbuster is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. And remember – this is intended to set off an all-new shared continuity: the DC Universe.