Superman: Legacy’s Lex Luthor Shortlist Reportedly Includes Alexander and Bill Skarsgard

With Superman: Legacy being the first film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, there is understandably a lot of hype and anticipation, especially when it comes to who will be cast in the beloved and iconic roles that round out Superman’s world and beyond. In recent weeks, that excitement has grown as the film’s reported shortlist has included actors such as Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, and David Corenswet in contention for Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan, Phoebe Dynevor, and Emma Mackey for Lois Lane. But there are more characters in Superman’s world than just Lois and Clark and casting for the film will include other familiar characters as well — and according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, there’s a shortlist for Lex Luthor and it includes Alexander and Bill Skarsgard.

Per the report, once decisions on who will play Clark Kent and Lois Lane are made, Gunn will start the next wave of casting. Among those being considered for Lex Luthor are Alexander and Bill Skarsgard. Hoult has previously been reported to have initially wanted to play Luthor before trying to go for Superman and it’s not clear if he would put himself in the running for the Lex Luthor role should he not be chosen for Superman. The report also noted that the film will also be casting other heroes, including members of The Authority.

Superman: Legacy Report Also Updates Lois and Clark Screen Tests

The new report also offered an update on the screen tests for Lois and Clark, indicating that a first round of screen tests took place on Saturday, June 17th with actors set up in “predetermined pairs” for several scenes. The pairings were Hoult and Brosnahan, Brittney and Dynevor, and Corenswet and Mackey with the scenes in question involving Superman in his civilian identity as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. On the next day, Sunday, June 18th, a second series of screen tests were held, with Hoult, Brittney, and Corenswet in costume as Superman. Mackey reportedly portrayed Lois in all of these screen tests, but the report stresses that she might not be the frontrunner for the role. A casting decision could arrive as early as this week.

What Do We Know About Superman: Legacy?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

“Now that we’ve kind of done a lot of auditions, we’re narrowing it down,” Gunn explained in a recent appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. “We’re not done yet. By the way — there’s a lot of stories out there about who we’re auditioning and all these screen tests. I’m just saying it’s not all true, that’s for sure. There’s things in there that are completely false, but I can’t go out there and say ‘Oh this isn’t true, and this isn’t true’ without going through everything. And by the way, it’s not the audience’s — at this point, I don’t think it’s the business of anyone who is screen testing for a role. That is a very private thing. Journalists have to do what they have to do. That’s their job. They’re trying to get hits. They find out some things from agencies, but here’s the problem — is that they find out some things from agencies that might be true. They find out other things from agencies, which are agencies pushing their clients and trying to pump it up, like ‘I think my client is testing!’ There’s a lot of nonsense that comes out of it, and that’s difficult, because there’s people out there that are supposedly testing that aren’t, and that must be difficult for them as people. And there’s other people that might be testing… and I think it’s a private thing between me and them.”

What do you think about the idea of Alexander or Bill Skarsgard as Lex Luthor? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Superman: Legacy is set to debut exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025.