DC Studios’ Peter Safran Talks Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor And The Starting Point Of The DCU's SUPERMAN Reboot

DC Studios’ Peter Safran Talks Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor And The Starting Point Of The DCU's SUPERMAN Reboot

Here's how long the Man of Steel and Lois Lane have been dating in director James Gunn's upcoming cinematic introduction to the DC Universe.

By MarkJulian - Jun 18, 2025 08:06 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman

An interview with DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran appears in all the new DC Comics titles released this week as part of the DC Nation Spotlight series.

In the write-up, Safran discusses how Nicholas Hoult will redefine the role of Lex Luthor for a new generation when Superman hits theaters later this summer.

"He is the Lex Luthor for the next generation, for sure. He is who people will think of when they think of Lex. Nick is an extraordinary actor. He has been doing this since he was five years old. I think he kind of knew Lex was the role of a lifetime for him, and  he embraced it immediately."

Safran also shares details on where the film picks up in terms of Clark's superhero and professional career, as well as his romance with Lois.

"We did not want to do another origin story. When we enter the story, Clark has been a reporter at the Daily Planet for a little while, the early stages of his career. He and Lois Lane have been dating for about three months, so early stages of their relationship. But then we really through the audience into the world of Metropolis, into the DC Universe, a world where metahumans and superheroes and super-villains, and magic and robots all exist...It's kind of like spotting a celebrity- you're like, 'Whoa, that's pretty cool,' not 'What did I just see?'That's the world we enter into. "

Peter Safran DC Nation interview

Superman is set to soar into theaters on July 11, 2025, officially launching James Gunn’s reimagined DC Universe. Originally titled Superman: Legacy, the film is both written and directed by Gunn, and serves as the foundation for the next era of DC storytelling.

Leading the cast is David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Kal-El, stepping into the iconic cape. He’s joined by Rachel Brosnahan as fearless journalist Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as the brilliant and menacing Lex Luthor.

The film also introduces several key DC heroes, with Nathan Fillion as the hot-headed Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as the winged warrior Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi as the genius strategist Mister Terrific.

Additional cast members include Sean Gunn as scheming businessman Maxwell Lord, María Gabriela de Faría as the cybernetically enhanced Angela Spica (aka The Engineer), and Terence Rosemore as Otis. Wendell Pierce will portray Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, while Sara Sampaio takes on the role of Eve Teschmacher.

Anthony Carrigan plays Metamorpho, the shape-shifting Element Man, and Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell appear as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive Earth parents.

Also making her debut is Milly Alcock as Supergirl, who will appear ahead of her own upcoming solo film, Supergirl.

With a packed roster of characters and a fresh creative vision, Superman promises to set the tone for a bold new era of the DC Universe.

Do Batman Or Gotham City Appear In DC Studios' SUPERMAN? Here's What You Need To Know - SPOILERS
Related:

Do Batman Or Gotham City Appear In DC Studios' SUPERMAN? Here's What You Need To Know - SPOILERS

SUPERMAN Clip Reveals Exactly How The Hammer Of Boravia Is Able To Defeat The Man Of Steel
Recommended For You:

SUPERMAN Clip Reveals Exactly How The "Hammer Of Boravia" Is Able To Defeat The Man Of Steel

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 6/18/2025, 8:57 PM
Love seeing Mark Julian articles…
Lem1
Lem1 - 6/18/2025, 8:58 PM
Coolcoolcool 😎
Gambito
Gambito - 6/18/2025, 8:58 PM
Nicholas is top tier casting for Lex, I love that he’s basically the complete luthor-he has the company, he’s a giant genius and schemer and like a lot of comics he allies himself with powerful individuals probably under lies and deception. Plus he might get the battle suit? Greatest luthor of all time!
Biggums
Biggums - 6/19/2025, 4:07 AM
@Gambito - his lex seems a bit weak in the knees imo
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 6/18/2025, 8:59 PM
Exactly HOW many other super heroes are in this "solo" Superman movie again? 🤔
epc1122
epc1122 - 6/18/2025, 9:45 PM
@Feralwookiee - this isn’t a solo Superman movie. Seinfeld was the main character but you still had George, Elaine, and Kramer. Everybody loves Raymond, Ray Romano was the lead but you had other characters. In knight rider, kitt was really the main character but you needed characters around the car. This is the start of a universe but i think it’ll be interesting to see Superman with other superpowers characters and Superman probably showing them what it means to be good and hopeful. Instead of being jaded (pure speculation). But to each their own.
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 6/18/2025, 10:18 PM
@Feralwookiee - Three that could never sniff a solo outing.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 6/18/2025, 9:52 PM
Hoult seems great as Lex from the footage we’ve seen so far so can’t wait to see his performance in its entirety.

User Comment Image

Anyway , I’m sure some might disagree but I also like the idea of having an established DCU to an extent where these fantastical elements are all commonplace already.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 6/18/2025, 9:59 PM
Looking forward to Hoult as Lex... he is gonna steal the show for sure
Pictilli
Pictilli - 6/18/2025, 11:25 PM
I love this take on the DCU. Can't wait for July 7th!!!
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/19/2025, 3:24 AM
Obviously I'll have to wait and see but what I've seen so far isnt that impressive from hoult. I thought he'd be a bit more imposing similar to the animated series and lex from smallville

His voice seems a bit soft 😬
Biggums
Biggums - 6/19/2025, 4:09 AM
@JurassicClunge - rather on par with this Superman no?
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/19/2025, 4:37 AM
@Biggums - yeah just a little, I'm surprised how soft his voice sounds.

Apart from the obvious look upgrade, he ain't that far from Jessie (in the voice department). 😮‍💨
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 6/19/2025, 4:16 AM
"But then we really throw the audience into... a world where metahumans and superheroes and super-villains, and magic and robots all exist...It's kind of like spotting a celebrity- you're like, 'Whoa, that's pretty cool,' not 'What did I just see?'That's the world we enter into."

Yeah, with no explanation. This is why the DCEU failed. This is why the DCU will fail also. They can't just throw an audience into the deep end like this and expect them to take it seriously. You need to earn it.
I can't believe they were stupid enough to do this a second time.

The GA WILL be like "What did I just see?" smh
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/19/2025, 4:40 AM
@ObserverIO - idk man they got a dog as an emotional cruth and Gunns quippy jokes.

People are already acting like this film is the 2nd coming of jesus 😬
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 6/19/2025, 7:49 AM
@JurassicClunge - There's only one doubt in my mind that this film (and the DCU franchise it launches to the general public) will fail and that's the Gunn effect.

Didn't help The Suicide Squad or the DCEU though.
breakUbatman
breakUbatman - 6/19/2025, 8:18 AM
@ObserverIO - If we could accept Middle Earth, the Galaxy Far Far Away and even the Fox X-men why do Superheroes need an explanation?

I think the GA would accept it quite easily, quality is where this universe will live or die.
Canyoublush
Canyoublush - 6/19/2025, 9:34 AM
@ObserverIO - truer words have never been spoken.
Canyoublush
Canyoublush - 6/19/2025, 9:37 AM
@JurassicClunge - people are delusional especially McMurdo, DT401 & the other guy but don’t tell them this because they might start crying. This film is gonna be the biggest joke ever.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 6/19/2025, 1:42 PM
@breakUbatman -

Middle Earth is set in a fantasy land. Not any historical Earth. It may as well be an alien planet with it's own disparate species. The only thing in this world that isn't explained is magic. Magic is acceptable as something that doesn't need to be explained.

The same can be said for Star Wars. It's set in a distant galaxy, long ago. Not our world, but a world with aliens and therefore different cultures and technologies. The only thing in this world that isn't explained (midichlorians notwithstanding) is again magic.

FoX-Men is straight up sci-fi with one singular concept to begin with: Mutants. Everything in those first bunch of movies can be explained by mutancy, a concept that is literally explained in the very opening monologue of the first film.
Later there's robots in Days of Future Past, but that's explained as part of the plot.
Then there are aliens in Dark Phoenix and again, it's part of the plot.

"Superheroes" is actually lots of different concepts. They all need their own explanation, or failing that a catch-all concept like the metagene (which Gunn has recently displayed his complete lack of an understanding of, so he won't be doing that).

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder