Did you know it was DC Comic villain Lex Luthor’s 85 anniversary? Thankfully, “Superman” filmmaker James Gunn remembered. He was even kind enough to gift fans a new behind-the-scenes photo of Nicholas Hoult (“X-Men”) for the occasion.
“In celebration of the 85th anniversary of Lex Luthor here’s an exclusive photo of Nicholas Hoult as Lex in our upcoming movie, Superman,” Gunn captioned the image. He credited the photo to “Superman” VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti.
This image shows Hoult on set in a nice suit, staring intently at something off-camera.
Lex debuted in Action Comics #23 in 1940 and has become one of DC’s most iconic antagonists. The character starts out as a brilliant but egotistical scientist who sets out to take over the world but settles for being a billionaire industrialist. He often battles Superman because he views him as a threat to his reign and believes his superpowers are undeserved.
Hoult’s Take on Lex Luthor
The character has graced the big and small screen a few times being played by several well-respected actors. Including Gene Hackman in the original “Superman” films, Michael Rosenbaum’s version on the TV series “Smallville,” and Jesse Eisenberg’s CEO teetering on the edge of madness in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” While this sets the bar pretty high for Hoult, it’s clear that he’s got it covered.
“There’s obviously expectation around it, but the expectation comes from people being enthusiastic and excited about what’s to come,” Hoult told GQ. “So it’s kind of trying to use that energy and pressure, I suppose, to benefit the process in some ways.”
“It was one of those things that when I first read the script, I was like, ‘Oh, Lex is a brilliant character,’” he adds about Gunn’s writing. “I think James has just done a wonderful job of creating him on the page. Hopefully what I’ve done and what we did on set has brought that to life in a fun way.”
“Superman” hits theaters on July 11, 2025. You can check out the trailer below:
