James Gunn Teases That Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor Will Be ‘Scary’ In ‘Superman’

Superman is in massive bother with Lex Luthor! James Gunn hypes up the ‘scary’ nature of Nicholas Hoult’s villain within the upcoming movie.

The web has been collectively swooning over David Corenswet all week with the discharge of the primary trailer for Superman. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply everyone seems to be in his nook. There’s been loads of hype over Nicholas Hoult’s efficiency as Lex Luthor. It’s one thing James Gunn was in a position to anticipate throughout manufacturing of the reboot, recalling the crew’s affinity for dangerous boys on set.

“After we had been on set and Nick walked in there, he’s each ounce of the massive time film star you possibly can think about,” Gunn defined in a current chat with The Display screen Transient. “And the ladies had been swooning over Lex Luthor. And I’m like, ‘Oh, all people loves a foul boy.’”

But Nicholas Hoult isn’t simply bringing his rugged beauty to the function of Lex Luthor. For as a lot as followers have been taking a look at him with doe-eyes, one thing sinister is hiding beneath that egghead exterior. James Gunn teased that the villain can be one thing really scary in Superman, not simply due to his intelligence, however the ideology he employs behind it.

“One of many issues that was vital to me was to make a Lex Luthor who was completely Superman’s equal. Possibly extra that. You’ve bought to be scared, and this Lex is frightening. And it’s not simply because he’s a foul man—as a result of he’s fairly dangerous—however he has his causes for considering what he thinks, which we get into. And it’s quite a lot of ideological issues about what Superman represents versus what he represents because the world’s most clever man.”

Lex Luthor’s Ideology In Superman

Whereas James Gunn clearly can’t lay all of his playing cards on the desk earlier than the second trailer for Superman hits the online, he did tease the ideology he crafted for Lex Luthor within the movie. In accordance with the director, what separates Nicholas Hoult’s character from the Man of Metal comes all the way down to their generosity for humanity, with one having far more of it than the opposite.

“And so, it actually is that this battle of ideologies between the 2 of them and the way they have a look at the world. One in all whom could be very beneficiant in his perspective, which is Superman, and considered one of them just isn’t very beneficiant in his perspective, which is Lex.”

“But additionally, his intelligence and his method of coping with the form of henchmen that Lex has round him makes him extremely harmful to Superman. And once you’re prepared to combat, and there aren’t any guidelines, you all the time have an higher hand over the one that’s prepared to combat and has quite a lot of guidelines—which is Superman.”

Trendy superhero media can usually really feel very Shonen-esque with heroes overcoming odds merely on account of being stronger. James Gunn seeks to flip this paradigm on its head for Superman. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor isn’t doing the flawed issues for the appropriate causes, he’s doing the flawed issues for the very, very flawed causes. And that ought to get any fan extremely excited to see extra.

Superman is at present scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Keep tuned for the newest information concerning the way forward for the DC Universe and ensure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for extra content material!