After Nicholas Hoult auditioned and lost out on roles to other actors for other major superhero characters, it was reported this past week that the actor may have finally nabbed a DC role as Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy. Unsurprisingly, the reported casting was subsequently met with major fanfare. As the actor allegedly nears a deal to star in James Gunn's reboot, a piece of impressive fan art makes a good case for the decision to tap Hoult for the role of the iconic villain. Needless to say, I'm into it.
After seeing Nicholas Hoult play rather nasty people in the 2022 satirical horror film The Menu and Hulu series The Great, it’s not too hard to imagine why he’s reportedly been chosen to join the Superman: Legacy cast as such a famous antagonist. But after one artist created a mock-up of what the actor could look like as Luthor, I love the idea even more. Check it:
The digital artist, who goes by ”Spdrmnkyxxiii” on Instagram, has showcased his talents on a number of occasions. He recently imagined Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic after that casting report dropped. The artist also created a fan poster for Superman: Legacy, which shows Kal-El actor David Corenswet sporting the red, blue and yellow costume, which we haven't officially seen him sport yet. When it comes to his depiction of Nicholas Hoult as Lex, he's depicted as bald and in a technologically-advanced armored suit. Hoult already seemed like a firm pick for the role, and it's hard not to get excited after seeing this sweet piece of work.
The X-Men alum has actually gone bald for a high-profile role before, as he did so when he played Nux in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. But the above fan art is really helpful in imagining the actor as Superman’s greatest enemy. Should he officially sign a deal for the part, it may be fair to assume the actor will be taking a razor to his head of hair once again.
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The supervillain has been portrayed on film a few times over the years, with Jesse Eisenberg, Kevin Spacey and Gene Hackman all playing him in major Superman movies. While the character has often been played as a power hungry CEO of LexCorp, in the comics themselves, the character was mostly depicted as a narcissistic mad scientist from the 60s to 1980s. Given Superman: Legacy’s James Gunn, who is writing and directing the movie, is a devout comic book reader, it’s possible that he may draw elements of Luthor from the comics that fans have yet to see highlighted on the big screen.
Not only am I sold on Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, but I’m also rather excited about the cast as a whole. Along with David Corenswet in as Superman, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane and this week, Booksmart’s Skyler Gisondo was cast as Jimmy Olsen. Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi are also amongst the ensemble of stars.
Funny enough, Nicholas Hoult actually auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne in The Batman but ultimately lost out on that to Robert Pattinson. After seeing Matt Reeves’ film, Hoult shared that he thought Pattinson did an “amazing job” and didn't think he ultimately would have “fit as well” in the world Reeves created for the film. Hoult also reportedly auditioned for Superman for Legacy but lost out again before looping back around as Lex Luthor. Now, that's a good villain origin story already. It'll be cool to see how the skilled actor plays Luthor and to see how he ends up looking in the role.
Wow, I’m actually getting excited for Superman: Legacy?! Who would've thought it. You can mark your calendars with me for its release date, which is set for July 11, 2025, and be on the lookout for news about the production as well as other upcoming superhero movies.
