Nicholas Hoult is set to play Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Superman: Legacy, according to sources in a Deadline exclusive report.

Newcomer David Corenswet is playing the Man of Steel and Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. It was previously reported that Venezuelan actress María Gabriela de Faría will be playing The Engineer, a villainous member of The Authority.

Hoult will be the fourth actor to play the supervillain. Gene Hackman was the first Lex Luthor against Christopher Reeves' Superman. Kevin Spacey played the role when Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns and Jesse Eisenberg opposite Henry Cavill.

In various series, Lex Luthor has been played by several actors. John Shea took the role in the Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher-led Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Supermain in the '90s.

Michael Rosenbaum played Clark Kent's (Tom Welling) best friend-turned-enemy in Smallville in the early 2000s. Jon Cryer was Luthor against Melissa Benoist's Supergirl.

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Lex was played by Titus Welliver in Titans. Most recently, Michael Cudlitz played him against Tyler Hoechlin in Superman & Lois.

Hoult is no stranger to superheroes, having played Hank McCoy (Beast) in four X-Men movies. He most recently played the charismatically unhinged Emperor Peter III in Hulu's The Great.

Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 published in 1938. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The first live-action Superman adaptation was a movie serial in 1948.

Superman: Legacy is Gunn's first movie of his planned revamped DC slate. The film is slated for a worldwide premiere on July 11, 2025.