Dave Bautista Has Not Had Conversations with James Gunn About Playing Superman Villain Lex Luthor

Count Dave Bautista as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy stars out of the running to become DC Studios’ next Lex Luthor. Over the weekend, the Hollywood trades reported James Gunn had initiated conversations with an unnamed actor on the press tour of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 about them potentially becoming the primary antagonist of Superman: Legacy. Now, Bautista says that actor isn’t him.

In a comment on a video shared to Instagram by ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian, Bautista confirmed it wasn’t he that Gunn spoke with about the role. “Nope! No conversation,” Bautista said in his comment. “No hurting people.” 

Who’s going to be the next Superman?

Around the same time the latest Lex Luthor reports began to circulate, a potential shortlist regarding DC Studios’ new Man of Steel started making the rounds, with Pearl star David Corenswet reportedly being the studio’s frontrunner for the role. Amid the reporting, Gunn himself took to Twitter to comment on the matter.

“For all of you asking, I would never comment on who is or isn’t AUDITIONING for a role. That’s the actor’s business only & isn’t something I’d make public unless they did it first after the fact (like @GlennHowerton or @ZacharyLevi having auditioned for Star-Lord & being top choices). For now, only one person has been CAST in Superman: Legacy, and it isn’t any of the regular players in the Superman world.”

What is Superman: Legacy going to be about?

Little has been revealed as to the plot of the movie, though an official synopsis from DC Studios hints the film will take place during the earliest days of the hero’s journey. The full synopsis is below.

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.

The DC Universe officially kicks off with Creature Commandos, which has yet to set a release date, and Superman: Legacy, which enters theaters July 11, 2025.

What part of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters excites you most? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!