James Gunn confirms that Nicholas Hoult will play the role of Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy

Much to the delight of fans, James Gunn officially confirms that the role of Lex Luthor has gone to Nicholas Hoult, who has been so much in the public eye. And...will he be bald?

Here's What We Know

As usual, Gunn welcomes new actors with a post on social media and, of course, Hoult was not left out:

"Yes, finally I can answer, @nicholashoult is Lex Luthor in #SupermanLegacy and I couldn’t be happier. We went out to dinner last night to celebrate and discuss how we can create a Lex that will be different from anything you’ve seen before and will never forget. “But, James, we heard this weeks ago, why didn’t you tell us it was true?” Because, although we were discussing it, it wasn’t final until a couple days ago and I don’t want to tell you all something that isn’t certain. Anyway, here’s to Lex (and Nicholas!), one of my very favorite characters in the DCU." - the director wrote on Instagram

After officially introducing Holt, the director also confirmed one burning question about Luthor's appearance in the film. In the comments of a post on Threads, a fan asked if the character would be bald in the film. Gunn's simple and abbreviated answer was "Of course".

Nicholas Hoult has gained a lot of respect amongst movie fans, starring in films such as Warm Bodies, Renfield and X-Men: First Class, not to mention critical acclaim for The Menu, Tolkien and The Favourite. It's even a little strange that it took so long for an actor who is almost unanimously endorsed by DC fans to fully commit to "Superman: Legacy".

When We Can Expect It

"Superman: Legacy" is expected on July 11, 2025.