EXCLUSIVE: 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.
The studio wanted to go through the casting process after the SAG-AFTRA strike of landing an actor to play Luther. Warners is already in business with Hoult on Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2. Hoult also starred in the 2015 Warner Bros. blockbuster, Mad Max Fury Road which made over $380M at the global box office.
Deadline reported last week that Venezuelan actress María Gabriela de Faría landed the role of villain The Engineer.
Hoult follows in the line of such actors as Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey and Jesse Eisenberg who’ve portrayed Luthor on-screen in the Warner Bros. Superman franchise.
Gunn selected Corenswet and Brosnahan after months of audition tapes and in-person screen tests as his main leads before the actors strike, but continued to be in prep on the movie.
Gunn (the Guardian of the Galaxy films, The Suicide Squad, the original Max series Peacemaker) is directing from his screenplay based on the DC characters. Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is being produced by co-DC Boss Peter Safran (Aquaman, the upcoming Aquaman 2, The Conjuring franchise).
Superman: Legacy has been set for a worldwide release on July 11, 2025.
The project was announced earlier this year when Gunn and Safran laid out their plan for the first phase of this revamped slate and Superman: Legacy was front and center as the project that would help launch this strategy.
Hoult is repped by UTA, 42, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Warner Bros had no comment.