On his Instagram, James Gunn finally confirmed a long-held rumor: X-Men series veteran Nicholas Hoult will play Superman’s archnemesis Lex Luthor in Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy.
To a smiling photo of him and Hoult, with a backdrop of blown-up covers of Superman comics, Gunn said he can “finally” confirm the news, adding, “I couldn’t be happier.”
Gunn says the pair had dinner on Sunday 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.”
The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise veteran also referenced the rumors that Hoult, who played Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast in some of the X-Men movies, had the role.
“But, James, we heard this weeks ago, why didn’t you tell us it was true?” the filmmaker continued.
“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,” Gunn concluded.
Superman: Legacy, which DC Films co-CEO Gunn wrote and is directing, will star Hollywood‘s David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as his love, Lois Lane.
The Righteous Gemstones star Skyler Gisondo has been cast as overeager Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen; Sara Sampaio will play villainess Eve Teschmacher, an ally of Luthor’s, while María Gabriela De Faría will also break bad as The Engineer.
On the hero side of the coin, Isabela Merced will be Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific; Anthony Carrigan plays shapeshifter Metamorpho, and Nathan Fillion, Gunn’s friend and collaborator on all his films, will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner.
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