As reported by Deadline, Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy. Hoult had initially been one of the front runners to play Superman himself. Following in the footsteps of Cillian Murphy and Tom Hiddleston, he is now set to portray the villain instead. Murphy auditioned for Batman before getting Scarecrow and Hiddleston for Thor before Loki.
As reported by the trade:
‘We hear that James Gunn has found his Lex Luthor in British actor Nicholas Hoult, several sources tell us.’
‘A movie star was always eyed for this role after Gunn selected fresh face David Corenswet in the title role, and Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.’
Superman: Legacy‘s main cast is now complete, though there could still be some minor roles to be cast between now and production starting early next year. Earlier we ran a rumored plot leak from the movie. However, as you can see by the related link below James Gunn debunked at least parts of that rumor.
RELATED: Rumored Superman: Legacy Plot Details Leak Online | Barside Buzz [EDIT: Debunked By James Gunn]
I do remember just before all the major casting rumors warmed up for Legacy that Hoult was tipped for Luthor very early on. However, one assumes this process was somewhat complicated by the fact he was also auditioning for Superman. Then of course we had the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Therefore, if the deal hadn’t been closed for Hoult, it had to be put on hold. That would seem to be the case given how quick this has progressed since the strikes ended, along with Legacy getting a release date and some other smaller roles cast.
As for what I think of this piece of casting? I liked it the first time I heard the rumor. I like Hoult, he’s an interesting actor with great diversity. I’ve seen him play threatening before and pull it off. I hope we get our first more serious take on Luthor in theatres. The only live-action Luthor I’ve liked was Rosenbaum in Smallville. Sadly he’s a bit too old now for the age of Superman in this movie. I could see Hoult pulling that off though.
What do you think of the news Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy?
