The Greatest Criminal Mind of Our Time: Nicholas Hoult IS Lex Luthor

[Lily Adler]

Like I’ve said, Hoult needs to embrace the niche he excels in and stop going after all these roles he’s wildly unsuited to. At least I can kinda see him as Lex unlike Clark, but there are still sooooo many actors better for it than him, including the two he’s reportedly up against.

Watch him try for Green Lantern and Aquaman.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Regarding Alexander Skarsgard… maybe I just can’t get The Northman out of my head but I think I would much rather see him play a musclebound hero than someone like Lex. I know he’s done a ton of other stuff and has played some really compelling villains in the past (he was amazing in Big Little Lies) but I think I would prefer his brother or Hoult for Lex.

 

[flickchick85]

I personally WANT a Lex who could be a musclebound hero type. I don't want another dweeb-y Lex. My favorite take on Lex is the one who's like the peak human, Metropolis' favorite son, the true Man of Tomorrow...until Supes shows up. The Lex in STAS was a straight-up ladies' man. That's the Lex I want.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I personally WANT a Lex who could be a musclebound hero type. I don't want another dweeb-y Lex. My favorite take on Lex is the one who's like the peak human, Metropolis' favorite son, the true Man of Tomorrow...until Supes shows up. The Lex in STAS was a straight-up ladies' man. That's the Lex I want.

Fair enough. Yeah, I don’t want Lex to be a full-on dweeb either. I don’t totally hate that approach but I don’t want a repeat of EisenLex. Ugh. I just feel like Alex is a little too far in the opposite direction in terms of build or whatever. But he’s a great actor so it could definitely work.

 

[Lily Adler]

Lex needs to be an Adonis playboy billionaire type who thinks of himself as a god and to have that image challenged by a literal one. Think Ozymandias in HBO's Watchmen.

 

[Boom]

Regarding Alexander Skarsgard… maybe I just can’t get The Northman out of my head but I think I would much rather see him play a musclebound hero than someone like Lex. I know he’s done a ton of other stuff and has played some really compelling villains in the past (he was amazing in Big Little Lies) but I think I would prefer his brother or Hoult for Lex.

I picture a blend of his roles in The Northman (intensity, physical presence) and Succession (charisma, ego, intellectual superiority).

 

[Deck Rickard]

Did anyone see that adaptation of The Stand where he plays Randall Flagg? I keep debating watching it even though some of the other casting choices seemed pretty terrible to me.

 

[Babillygunn]

Did anyone see that adaptation of The Stand where he plays Randall Flagg? I keep debating watching it even though some of the other casting choices seemed pretty terrible to me.

The show wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be. It just wasn’t very good.
He was all right as Flagg, but while the role should’ve been meaty, it wasn’t written that way.

 

[SupermansPal]

Lex needs to be an Adonis playboy billionaire type who thinks of himself as a god and to have that image challenged by a literal one. Think Ozymandias in HBO's Watchmen.

Which is also why I hope gives him a more flashy wardrobe than just boring businesss suits.

The man is far too much of a narcissist to that, he's the best dressed in the room and he knows it.

 

[GreenKToo]

For me, up to superman's first appearance, Lex would pretty much have a Tony Stark, Elon musk, Tom cruise level of popularity, and constantly in the public eye.
Talk shows, opening sporting events, and new high rise building openings all clammer for his appearance at their events in a show of public support.

Superman ( unintentionally ) takes all that away from Lex.
The cameras, the crowds, etc etc, all disappear in favor of superman.

Lex can't have that, now can he.

 

[Invader Joker]

I personally WANT a Lex who could be a musclebound hero type. I don't want another dweeb-y Lex. My favorite take on Lex is the one who's like the peak human, Metropolis' favorite son, the true Man of Tomorrow...until Supes shows up. The Lex in STAS was a straight-up ladies' man. That's the Lex I want.

Worth nothing this was Lex's exact depiction in All Star Superman, which this movie is taking from.

And yeah, in so far as that depiction goes, I can't see Hoult or Bill playing that. Bill would straight up look like a kid when completely bald, which is a problem.

 

[Eddie Dean]

What bald children are you look at?

 

[Boom]

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Babillygunn]

What bald children are you look at?

This little spawn of hell is worse than any villain that DC could contrive.

 

[Kane52630]

I thought I'd use the bald filter on the three.

 

[Boom]

You know the more I think about it the more I like Bill Skarsgard for it.

 

[Iceman]

You know the more I think about it the more I like Bill Skarsgard for it.

He’s my fave, of the 3 at least.

 

[Stringer]

Either Skarsgard is fine with me, I think they'd be fine in the role. I guess its inherent how the brothers seem to switch between charm, intimidation, and creepiness so easily in their performances.

 

[Iceman]

I thought I'd use the bald filter on the three.

Hmm, Hoult doesn’t look too bad bald lol. But Bill’s still my favourite pick of the 3.

 

[Lily Adler]

I thought I'd use the bald filter on the three.

I'm getting Rosenbaum vibes from Hoult.

 

[C Prometheus]

Worth nothing this was Lex's exact depiction in All Star Superman, which this movie is taking from.

And yeah, in so far as that depiction goes, I can't see Hoult or Bill playing that. Bill would straight up look like a kid when completely bald, which is a problem.

Ehhhhhh, kind of.

All Star's Lex is definitely in remarkable physical shape, but it's presented less as an example of Lex already being a prime example of humanity's peak and more as Lex being driven entirely by envy and pettiness towards Superman, to the point of Lex's fitness indicating that he's compensating. In fact, I'm fairly confident All-Star's Lex is a fair bit shorter in height compared to the DCAU one, as I recall Clark dwarfing over him during the prison interview chapter.

My read on All-Star's Lex is more that he comes off as borderline insane due to how petty he is in regards to Superman. And to that end, I can absolutely see Hoult or Bill delivering on that characterization.

 

[GreenKToo]

I think Lex would already be in peak physical condition long before superman arrives.
His ego would have drove him to do it.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

I thought I'd use the bald filter on the three.

For some reason, I can't see Alex committing himself to a role that would have him go bald for 10+ years, a supervillain role at that. Do bald caps look any more convincing today than they did 20 years ago? Maybe that's an option.

 

[Invader Joker]

For some reason, I can't see Alex committing himself to a role that would have him go bald for 10+ years, a supervillain role at that. Do bald caps look any more convincing today than they did 20 years ago? Maybe that's an option.

Why not? If anything, out of the 3 actors listed, he seems to be the most likely one to be all in for that.