A first look at the new incarnation of Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman movie has been revealed as filming begins for the highly anticipated flick.
James Gunn, known for being behind the camera for the entire Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, is the man who was tasked with making yet another reboot of Superman a surefire success.
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He was hired alongside Peter Safran to closely craft the future of the DC Universe (DCU) - a soft reboot of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) - following a mixed bag of box office successes in recent years, especially compared to rivals over at the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Superman will serve as the first film in the DCU, and will primarily focus around Superman's attempts to reconcile his heritage from the planet Krypton with his adoptive family on Earth in the US town of Smallville, where he goes by the name Clark Kent.
David Corenswet (The Politician, Hollywood) has been cast as Superman/Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, House of Cards) taking up the role of journalist Lois Lane.
And British actor Hoult has been cast opposite Corenswet, taking up the role of Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor.
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A first look at Hoult in the iconic role has been released with filming starting on Thursday (29 February).
Hoult appears with a completely shaven head for the role of Luthor, showing he is committing in every way possible to the role. There will be no green screen cap here.
His bald noggin could be seen in a clip shared by Brosnahan on TikTok alongside her two male co-stars.
See the video below:
"Nicholas as Lex is peak casting," one TikTok user replied.
Another wrote: "Nicholas Hoult is the perfect Lex."
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Hoult is of course extremely well known to both UK and US audiences for his roles in the X Men film series as Hank McCoy/Beast as well as taking up supporting roles in the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road.
He was a hugely successful child actor too, starring alongside Hugh Grant in About a Boy before playing the role of Tony Stonem in cult E4 series Skins.
As well as Superman you can also expect to see him in the highly anticipated re-make of Nosferatu, which stars Bill Skarsgard in the role of the rather haunting Count Orlok. And it's not the only spooky role Skarsgard is set to play either.
Announcing that Superman filming had begun on Instagram, Gunn wrote: "Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on Superman today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman’s birthday.
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"When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was Superman. Making our way to you July 2025."
Topics: Superman, TV and Film, UK News, US News, DC Comics
Tom Earnshaw