Nicholas Hoult Is A PERFECT Choice To Play Lex Luthor

I have no idea how good or bad James Gunn's new DC universe will be. I know that James Gunn thought that "The Flash" was one of the greatest movies ever, so I have a hard time trusting his judgment. I can’t speak on what the quality of "Superman: Legacy" will be, but the casting has been flawless. 

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have already been cast as Superman and Lois Lane respectively. Those are excellent choices. Both actors look like the characters that they're going to be portraying. DC didn't rock the boat and do anything stupid. They'll be great. But in general, everyone who's ever been tapped to play Superman has done a pretty good job. The same cannot be said about Lex Luthor. Gene Hackman made the character iconic in the 70s. Kevin Spacey did a fine job in "Superman Returns," though anything that features Kevin Spacey at this point is pretty dated. Jesse Eisenberg portrayed the character for a few years. I know I am a guy who dabbles in the hyperbolic, but Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor is one of the worst performances ever in a big-budget movie. I don't hate the casting, but I hate the performance. 

Yesterday, it was announced that Nicholas Hoult would play Lex Luthor in the new DC universe. I think that this is an awesome choice. I've liked this guy as an actor for a long time, but I think he works better as a supporting player. He gave a great performance in the 2018 film "The Favourite" in a supporting role. I think he'll be able to capture the threatening smarminess that makes Lex Luthor effective. 

There is something of an irony to this. Nicholas Hoult has tried on multiple occasions to audition for the roles of both Batman and Superman. He was in the running multiple times but never got the part. You either die or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain, I guess. The casting is solid. The next step will be actually getting the essence of the characters right. In the Zack Snyder universe, Superman rarely felt like Superman, and Lex Luthor rarely felt like Lex Luther. It's time for something of a throwback with these characters. Everything's gotten so dark. Hopefully, we can return to that hopeful optimism that made Supermana fun character.