Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn was in the midst of putting together his Superman: Legacy cast. David Corenswet ended up being chosen as the new Man of Steel, but Nicholas Hoult's name was also batted around and we've since heard he's in the running to play Lex Luthor.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star Jesse Eisenberg was the last actor to take on the role in theaters, though his drastic reinvention of the villain into an awkward Mark Zuckerberg-style baddie didn't sit well with a lot of DC Comics fans.
During a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, X-Men: First Class and possible future helmer of The Authority, Matthew Vaughn, was asked for his thoughts on fans wanting Taron Egerton to play Wolverine. The filmmaker discovered Egerton when he cast the Welsh actor in Kingsman but believes there's another role he'd be well-suited for.
"He’d be better as Lex Luthor. He’d be an amazing Luthor," Vaughn said. "He shouldn’t be Wolverine. I don’t think he’s right for it. You got to really go back to the comic. Hugh is brilliant as Wolverine, but I’d go back to the what the comics are...[he’s a] small, grizzly, tough guy. Hugh has made it so iconic that if you go into that version...no."
"Taron would make an amazing, intelligent villain," he concluded.
This would be an interesting role for Egerton and we'd love to see his take on the character. Outside of Kingman, he's proven himself an incredibly diverse performer thanks to his roles in the likes of Rocketman and Black Bird; with that in mind, we're sure he'd do Superman's greatest foe justice.
Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.
David Corenswet is playing the Man of Steel, while Rachel Brosnahan has been tapped to star as Lois Lane. other recent casting additions include Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Skyler Gisondo is rumoured to be playing Jimmy Olsen and we recently learned Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star Kurt Russell may be in the running for Jor-El.
Superman: Legacy is currently set to be released in theaters on July 11. 2025.