Nicholas Hoult said to be playing Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy

Nicholas Hoult is said to have landed the role of Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy.

David Corenswet is to portray the titular role in James Gunn's forthcoming film, and Rachel Brosnahan will appear as Lois Lane.

Several sources have told Deadline that Hoult is in line to portray Luthor - the arch-nemesis of Superman - in the motion picture, which is due for worldwide release on July 11, 2025.

Just last week, it was confirmed Maria Gabriela De Faria will portray villain The Engineer in the movie.

The 31-year-old actress confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing a picture of the publication's article.

She wrote: "Now you know why I've been working out like a crazy person. James Gunn made me a superhero."

Gunn recently confirmed the release of Superman: Legacy will not be delayed by the recent Hollywood strikes.

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He wrote on the social media platform X: "Thanks to the efforts of our talented crew, who never lost faith during the longest strikes in Hollywood history, and who never let their foot off the pedal, continuing to barrel forward, creating the most amazing character and set designs I've seen in my entire career, Superman: Legacy will be making the originally planned release date of July 11, 2025."

The movie has benefitted from some fortuitous timing as the filmmaker had completed the script prior to the writers' strike, while the castings of Corenswet and Brosnahan were confirmed before actors took industrial action.

Plot details for the superhero movie are minimal, but Gunn has explained that the film will focus on a younger iteration of the character played by Henry Cavill in previous films.