Why Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum Isn't Playing Lex Luthor In Superman: Legacy

What James Gunn seems to be suggesting here is that he wants an actor who is closer in age to David Corenswet, and if that's his reasoning, Nicholas Hoult makes a lot more sense for the role of Lex Luthor in "Superman: Legacy" than Michael Rosenbaum. After all, Corenswet and Hoult have a mere 4-year age gap between them at 30 and 34, respectively. Meanwhile, Rosenbaum is much further along at the age of 51.

While Lex Luthor is commonly portrayed as being a bit older than Clark Kent, he is usually close enough in age to the Man of Steel that they feel like contemporaries, so it makes sense that Gunn would want to keep this tradition going. Meanwhile, the DCU co-head made a happy announcement in the same Threads post, celebrating the finalization of Hoult's role in "Superman: Legacy."

"Yes, finally, I can answer. [Nicholas Hoult] is Lex Luthor in #SupermanLegacy, and I couldn't be happier," he wrote. "We went out to dinner last night to celebrate & discuss how we can create a Lex that will be different from anything you've seen before and will never forget."

Though fans will have to wait until the release of the upcoming film in 2025 to see how Hoult squares up against other actors who have previously undertaken the role, if Gunn's confidence can be trusted, viewers are in for a real treat when "Superman: Legacy" does finally arrive in theaters.