James Gunn’s upcoming Superman is approaching, and fans couldn’t be more excited for this brand-new reimagining of the iconic hero. Other than what’s been revealed in the trailer, little is known about the film’s plot. However, Gunn often takes to social media to offer fans some tantalizing behind-the-scenes looks at Superman, each of which only increases the excitement and speculation about the film. The famed filmmaker recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an imposing photo of the movie’s antagonist, Lex Luthor (played by X-Men star Nicholas Hoult), tweeting, “In celebration of the 85th anniversary of Lex Luthor here’s an exclusive photo of Nicholas Hoult as Lex in our upcoming movie, @Superman.” The photo was taken by the film’s VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti.
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This set photo depicts Hoult on the set of the film looking quite dapper in a nice suit. But his intense gaze implies that this isn’t a typical business mogul; just because he doesn’t have superpowers, Luthor has always managed to be a thorn in Superman’s side. While the image may not reveal much – if anything – about the film’s plot, it does give the impression that this version of the supervillain is not one to be trifled with.
Luthor first debuted in Action Comics #23 in 1940 and has since become one of the most iconic antagonists not only in comics, but in popular culture. He started as a brilliant but megalomaniacal scientist determined to rule the world but gradually evolved into a cunning billionaire industrialist. Part of his vendetta against Superman is that he sees the Big Blue Boy Scout as a threat to humanity and that his godlike abilities are undeserved. Despite his crimes, Luthor doesn’t believe himself to be a common criminal, instead seeing himself as mankind’s savior, and has even been something of an antihero on occasion.
[RELATED: Nicholas Hoult Details How “Ruthless” Lex Luthor Will “Outmaneuver” Superman]
Over the decades, the character has made the leap to live action in numerous iterations. Some of his most notable depictions include Gene Hackman’s portrayal of the character in the original Superman films, Michael Rosenbaum’s youthful take in the TV series Smallville, and Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric tech CEO in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Hoult has some major shoes to fill, but from what we’ve seen and heard about his portrayal of the infamous villain, it seems like he’s more than up for the task. Still, Hoult is more than aware of what it means to be the latest actor to take on such a large role, telling GQ, “There’s obviously expectation around it, but the expectation comes from people being enthusiastic and excited about what’s to come. So it’s kind of trying to use that energy and pressure, I suppose, to benefit the process in some ways,” says Hoult. However, the strength of Gunn’s script was what really proved to the actor that it was possible. “It was one of those things that when I first read the script, I was like, ‘Oh, Lex is a brilliant character.’ 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 will be released on July 11, 2025.
