Of all the films on the 2025 movie schedule, one of the most anticipated projects might be James Gunn’s Superman. The movie is the big screen reinvention of the most popular comic book character of all time, and it's part of a relaunch of the new DC cinematic universe. However, a hero is only as good as his villain, and Superman will have one of the all-time greats as Lex Luthor will be played by Nicholas Hoult.
Hoult had been trying to find his place in the comic book movie landscape. He had previously been on the short list to play Batman in the role that eventually went to Robert Pattinson. He also came close to playing Superman himself before David Corenswet took the part. Instead, James Gunn cast him as Lex Luthor. Gunn jokes to Fandango that the reason is that Hoult is just a very angry man, saying…
I hired him because I said, ‘This man is so full of hatred.’
James Gunn is, of course, having some fun with the actor. Hoult plays into it too, acting like he hates being part of the interview. The Nosferatu actor has played his share of bad guys over the years, so he certainly has experience with that sort of role. He may not be full of hatred, but he’s not bad at playing it.
The trailer for Superman has shown Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, but it hasn't revealed much about the character. Luthor has been portrayed in a number of different ways in the comics and on screen. Gunn’s comments about hatred here would seem to indicate that it will be the prevailing emotion of the character, which will actually make for a version of Luthor in the upcoming DC movie we haven’t seen on screen before.
One of the things about the new Superman that will likely be the biggest question going in will be how the movie will differentiate itself from the other iterations we’ve seen before. A Luthor who just hates Superman on a deep level will be something quite different. It will also show some great acting on the part of Nicholas Hoult, who, as we see here, isn’t all that full of hatred.
To be fair, if I had been passed over for two major superhero roles, I might start to get a little angry myself, but Hoult is clearly taking it all in stride.
He’s found that major comic book role that he was looking for. And while we don’t know what Luthor’s fate in Superman will be, it seems unlikely he’ll only appear in a single movie with the larger DCU just getting underway. We'll find out when Superman hits theaters in July.
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