There’s a new Lex Luthor on the block, and he’s going to be quite the… beast. Ok, terrible pun about Nicholas Hoult’s time playing Hank McCoy in the X-Men movies aside, it turns out the actor is getting in good shape to play Superman’s chrome-domed arch-nemesis in James Gunn’s Superman movie, which was previously titled Superman: Legacy. But rather than this being agreed upon the moment he took the role, Hoult has a funny reason for why he’s working out to play Luthor, and it involves one of the Man of Steel’s most famous stories.
Hoult stopped by Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum to chat about a variety of subjects with the title host — who, of course, played Lex Luthor on Smallville. When Rosenbaum asked if Hoult will have his shirt off during the upcoming DC movie, the latter said that wouldn’t be the case, but did confirm he’s been working out, then stated:
There’s that bit in All-Star Superman where [Lex Luthor] talks about his muscles being real, hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of fuel for the fire, I guess.
While Lex Luthor is a supervillain chiefly known for his incredible, non-super intellect, there have been instances where the character has been depicted as being physically fit too, including in All-Star Superman. Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely, this 12-issue miniseries published between 2005 and 2008 follows Superman racing to complete a series of heroic tasks before he dies from overexposure to solar radiation, an event Luthor orchestrated. During the story, Luthor brags to Clark (not knowing this is his adversary’s secret identity) about how his muscles are “real,” adding:
It’s easy to be strong when you just happen to have come from the planet Krypton! This takes hard work!
That alone was enough to convince Nicholas Hoult that it was worth working out for Superman, the first movie on the DC Universe Chapter One slate. Hoult’s Lex Luthor won’t be able to measure up strength-wise to David Corenswet’s version of Superman, and will instead have to rely on his intellect to antagonize the Kryptonian hero and his allies, but that doesn’t mean that the baddie has to neglect his physical health. Besides, just because he can’t go toe to toe with Supeman in a direct fight doesn’t mean we couldn’t see Luthor lay a beating on a non-powered person’s who’s asking for it… in his eyes, anyway.
Nicholas Hoult succeeds Jesse Eisenberg as cinema’s next live-action Lex Luthor, although the character is also currently being portrayed by Michael Cudlitz in Superman & Lois, which is shooting its final season. Other key members in the cast of James Gunn’s Superman movie include Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen and newest addition Wendell Pierce as Perry White. The movie began principal photography on February 29 and will hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on what we can expect from Hoult’s Lex Luthor in Superman. You’re welcome to pass the time until then by revisiting many of the DC movies in order with a Max subscription.
