Superman's Nicholas Hoult Is Getting Jacked To Play Lex Luthor - Here's Why

James Gunn's "Superman" has officially begun filming, with "X-Men: First Class" star Nicholas Hoult set to portray the Man of Steel's most iconic villain, Lex Luthor. The actor is taking major inspiration from one the greatest Superman stories ever told in "All-Star Superman" (by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, Phil Balsman, and Travis Lanham), undergoing a physical transformation to play the genius antagonist.

Hoult sat down with Michael Rosenbaum on his podcast "Inside of You," where he discussed taking on the role of Luthor. In the conversation with his fellow actor, who played the character on The CW's "Smallville" series, Hoult talked about his comic book inspiration, specifically mentioning "All-Star Superman" and a scene where Clark Kent visits Lex in prison as the villain faces the death penalty after trying to kill Superman with solar radiation. Luthor talks about Kal-El's alien nature, saying humanity could never match his strength or powers. He refers to his muscles as real and how it took hard work to get them (unlike Clark), flexing them to Kent.

Hoult admitted the scene fueled him to get jacked for the role: "I have been working out," he said. "There's that bit in 'All-Star Superman' where he talks about his muscles being real and like hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of like fuel for the fire."

"Superman" director James Gunn won't make the same mistake as Zack Snyder did with the interpretation of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," where the villain's long hair made him unrecognizable. Nicholas Hoult's Luthor, like previous live-action iterations — including Gene Hackman in "Superman," Kevin Spacey in "Superman Returns," and Michael Rosenbaum in "Smallville" — will be going bald like his comic book counterpart, as seen in a "Superman" cast photo Gunn shared when production began.

Hoult has transformed his appearance for roles in the past. Most famously, he played Hank McCoy aka Beast in 20th Century Fox's last X-Men trilogy, wearing prosthetics, blue makeup, and fur to portray the mutant hero. In George Miller's critically acclaimed "Mad Max: Fury Road," Hoult stars as the War Boy Nux, shaving his head, wearing numerous prosthetics, and having different body parts painted.

Working out and becoming jacked highlights the actor's dedication to delivering the best performance, as adding muscle helps illustrate Lex's complicated relationship with Superman. Audiences can see Hoult's Luthor come to life on the big screen when Gunn's "Superman" releases in theaters on July 11, 2025.