- Hoult, 33, is in talks to play Luthor, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and while no contract has been finalized, talks are already underway before the strike
- The casting comes six months after reports surfaced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper turned down the role of Lex Luthor
- Hoult will join David Corenswet as Clark Kent aka Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, with Hoult also a finalist for the Superman role
Nicholas Hoult will be the latest in a long line of actors to play villain Lex Luthor in Warner Bros. the highly anticipated Superman: Legacy.
Hoult, 33, is in talks to play Luthor, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and while no deal has been finalized, talks have been ongoing since before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The casting comes six months after reports surfaced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper turned down the role of Lex Luthor.
Hoult will join David Corenswet as Clark Kent aka Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, with Hoult also a finalist for the Superman role, which went to Corenswet.
The cast also includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Nicholas as Lex: Nicholas Hoult will be the latest in a long line of actors to play the villain Lex Luthor in Warner Bros. the highly anticipated Superman: Legacy
Rejected: The casting comes six months after reports surfaced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper turned down the role of Lex Luthor
At the end of June, it was reported that Hoult was initially wanted for the role of Luthor, although he also wanted to apply for the role of Superman.
Hoult was considered one of the finalists for the role alongside Corenswet, who eventually got the role, and Tom Brittney.
Siblings Alexander Skarsgard and Bill Skarsgard were also mentioned at Warner Bros. Shortlist for the Luthor role.
The character of Lex Luthor made his first comic appearance in April 1940 in Action Comics #23, created by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
The villain has been portrayed on the big screen several times, first by Gene Hackman opposite Christopher Reeve as the title character in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and two of its sequels.
Kevin Spacey took on the character in 2006’s Superman Returns, facing off against Brandon Routh’s Man of Steel.
Jesse Eisenberg took on the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman.
The character has also been played many times on the small screen, with John Shea portraying the villain in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Michael Rosenbaum portraying him in Smallville, Jon Cryer in the numerous Arrowverse shows, and Michael Cudlitz in Superman & Lois and Titus Welliver in Titans.
Submission for Supes: At the end of June, it was reported that Hoult was initially wanted for the role of Luthor, although he also wanted to apply for the role of Superman
Comics Lex: The Lex Luthor character made his first comic appearance in Action Comics #23 in April 1940, created by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
First Lex: The villain has been portrayed on the big screen several times, first by Gene Hackman alongside Christopher Reeve as the title character in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and two of its sequels
Kevin as Lex: Kevin Spacey took on the character in 2006’s Superman Returns, facing off against Brandon Routh’s Man of Steel
Jesse as Lex: Jesse Eisenberg took on the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman
Hoult began acting at the age of five, but his real breakthrough came at the age of 13 when he appeared alongside Hugh Grant in “About a Boy” in 2002.
He then starred in the British TV series “Skins” as well as major projects such as “Clash of the Titans” and “X-Men: First Class”.
The actor is exiting the new season of his Hulu series The Great alongside Elle Fanning, who was canceled after the third season, and Renfield alongside Nicolas Cage.
He will next be seen lending his voice to the titular cat’s owner Jon in Garfield, and he also has Nosferatu scheduled for release in 2024.
Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult