The superhero genre is showing no signs of slowing down, and moviegoers are especially curious about what’s coming next for DC. Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are forming a brand new shared universe, with the first slate of projects titled Gods and Monsters. Perhaps the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movie is Superman: Legacy, which will be the first installment in this new universe. And James Gunn has confirmed a key detail about Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor.
What we know about Superman: Legacy is limited, but James Gunn has been assembling the movie’s cast. He recently confirmed that Nicholas Hoult was playing Lex Luthor, to the joy of fans who were debating this casting choice. After sharing this news, Gunn was asked on Threads about a big detail: is Hoult’s villain going to be bald? The filmmaker offered a short and sweet response, simply posting:
ofc.
There you have it. Per James Gunn, Lex will “of course” be bald when he appears in Superman: Legacy. But other than that, not much is known about this iteration of the DC villain, or what the main story of the blockbuster will be about. Still, this tidbit is sure to please comic book purists who want to see Luthor be bald and beautiful in the forthcoming blockbuster.
The subject of Lex Luthor’s hair is no doubt inspired by Jesse Eisenberg’s role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fans were confused when Lex had a full head of hair throughout the movie’s runtime, which ended up being one of the biggest points of contention about the Zombieland star’s characterization. While Batman v Superman’s ending finally saw him get his head shaved as he was incarcerated, it was still a major departure for the beloved DC villain.
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Cast: David Corsenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, Skyler Gisondo
Release Date/Platform: July 11th, 2025
Longtime fans will know that Gene Hackman’s Lex also had hair throughout the 1978 Superman movie, although the ending revealed he was wearing a wig the whole time. And as such, he was technically bald throughout this movie. We’ll just have to wait and see how the character is handled when Superman: Legacy finally arrives in theaters.
The addition of Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor once again proves how stellar the cast of Superman: Legacy is. James Gunn has assembled an outstanding ensemble, led by David Corenswet and Rachel Bros as Clark Kent and Lois Lane respectively. They’ll be joined by Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, as well as a gaggle of DC heroes: Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific. Exactly how these various heroes will factor into the story remains a mystery for the time being.
Superman: Legacy is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 11th, 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
