The next actor to play Lex Luthor has officially been cast, replacing Jesse Eisenberg in the new DC Universe (DCU).
Eisenberg only officially portrayed Lex Luthor in two movies from the DC Extended Universe (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both versions of Justice League), even noting that he’d be "shocked" to ever play the role again.
Meanwhile, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have been deep into the process of casting his replacement, with at least a trio of big names in the running to play Superman’s most memorable nemesis from DC Comics.
The DCU Finds Its New Lex Luthor
Deadline announced that the new DC Universe will feature Nicholas Hoult in the role of Lex Luthor starting in 2025's Superman: Legacy.
Hoult will be the replacement for DCEU's Jesse Eisenberg, whose last appearance came during Zack Snyder's Justice League, which debuted exclusively as a streaming release in March 2021.
Hoult becomes just the latest cast member for Superman: Legacy, which already features David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
While Hoult comes in as the replacement for Eisenberg, a number of former DCEU stars are in line to continue playing their roles, including John Cena and other Peacemaker stars along with Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle.
Hoult also becomes the latest actor to jump into the DC Universe from the greater Marvel world, as he portrayed the younger version of Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast in four separate X-Men movies from 2011 to 2019.
How Will Lex Luthor Be Used in Superman: Legacy?
Having Nicholas Hoult in tow to play Lex Luthor should only add another level of cachet to this film's cast, especially with Hoult having faced two different rejections after auditioning to play both Gunn's Superman and Matt Reeves' Batman.
He also marks the third former Marvel actor to join this cast along with Edi Gathegi (Mr. Terrific) and Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner's Green Lantern), with James Gunn clearly looking to build this cast with people passionate about this genre of film.
The big question now is how exactly Luthor will be utilized in the DCU's first theatrical release, especially after Maria Gabriela de Faria was cast as the villainous Engineer with rumors also pointing to Brainiac being involved.
Superman is also said to be fighting The Authority in this solo movie before that group gets their own solo film later, leaving many to wonder who will take the billing as lead antagonist against Corenswet's Man of Steel.
But regardless of who takes that spot this time around, Hoult should be on board for the long haul as Lex Luthor gets a chance to truly return to glory on the big screen.
Superman: Legacy is set to debut in theaters on July 11, 2025.
