Superman’s number one frenemy will be played by Nicholas Hoult.

Nothing is final yet, but Deadline and other sources say that a deal is close. James Gunn chose the Renfield star for his and Warner Bros. latest reboot of the franchise, Superman: Legacy, due out in July of 2025. He joins David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, whose casting was announced earlier.

Hoult was previously up for the title role, but that went to Corenswet. However, from the photo below, from X-Men: Dark Phoenix, he would have made a credible Clark Kent at least.

Gunn is writing and directing Legacy, the first feature from his and Peter Safran’s new DC Studios universe. Nathan Fillion and María Gabriela de Faría are also in the cast.

In addition to his time as the Marvel/X-Men character Beast in the series of X-Men films released from 2011 to 2019. He has worked with Warner Bros before, starring in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and has a role in the upcoming Juror No. 2 with Clint Eastwood.

His recent credits include last year’s The Menu and the Universal monster flick Renfield, released earlier this year. He was also in the cast of Hulu’s period drama The Great, for which he earned an Emmy nomination in 2022.

Hoult joins Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey and Jesse Eisenberg, who have all portrayed Luthor on-screen in one of the Warner Bros. Superman films.