Summary
- Nicholas Hoult missed out on Superman & Batman roles in DC; landed Lex Luthor role.
- Hoult auditioned for Superman & Batman, losing to others like Robert Pattinson.
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Blunt, & John Krasinski similarly missed out on iconic superhero roles.
Superman may be eager to fly into theaters in four months, but one of its stars isn’t so keen to forget a casting snub by director James Gunn.
Casting for Superman concluded in mid-2023, with David Corenswet officially taking on the mantle of the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan stepping in as Lois Lane, and Hoult landing the role of Luthor — all replacing the DCEU’s former trio of Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Jesse Eisenberg. The trailer showing the actors in character received 250 million views across all platforms in its first 24 hours, becoming DC’s most-viewed trailer of all time. Hoult, in particular, has been praised by James Gunn as a comic-accurate Lex who would be more than a match for the Man of Steel than previous versions. What Gunn didn’t see in the actor, though, was him rocking the iconic blue suit and red overpants of Kal El and the spectacles of Clark Kent.
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Nicholas Hoult Was Snubbed For Both Superman and Batman
And Narrowly Too.
Hoult had initially auditioned for Superman himself but was cast in his current role instead. Before that, he also went up against Robert Pattinson as the final two choices to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman but lost to his fellow Briton. During Warner Bros.’s presentation at CinemaCon, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on X, Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult were asked what other DC characters they would love to play. Corenswet picked Batman, Brosnahan playfully selected Lex Luthor, but Hoult delivered a bittersweet truth:
“Well, I auditioned for Batman and Superman, and I didn’t get either of them.”
No stranger to the comic book realm, Hoult played Hank McCoy (Beast) in the X-Men films. Yet he wasn’t deemed fit to play either of two of pop culture’s most beloved characters. The reasons are debatable, especially considering that, for The Batman, Hoult shared a comparable physique and résumé with Pattinson. And for Superman, Gunn sought “somebody who you want to give a hug” — a description that Hoult’s facial features more than fit. Regardless, the actor now joins a list of capable actors and actresses who narrowly missed out on career-defining roles.
Jake Gyllenhaal was one back pain away from being cast as Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 when Tobey Maguire faked spine issues. He also missed out on donning the cape and cowl in Christopher Nolan’s Batman, losing to Christian Bale. Emily Blunt was among the top contenders for Black Widow (in Iron Man 2) but the deal fell short due to scheduling issues. Her spouse, John Krasinski also has a similar story. He was nearly cast as Captain America before Chris Evans sealed the deal, although he did get another shot in the MCU with a multiverse version of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Would Nicholas Hoult have made a better Clark Kent? Guess no one will ever know. What fans will want to know is if come July 11, Gunn and Warner Bros. will make good on their promises with Superman, especially with its positive test screenings.
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
- Director
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James Gunn
- Producers
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Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran
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David Corenswet
Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El
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Rachel Brosnahan
Lois Lane
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Nicholas Hoult
Lex Luthor
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Edi Gathegi
Michael Holt / Mister Terrific
Source: The Hollywood Reporter/X