The reboot for DC’sSupermanis now in production, withThe Man of Steelworking his way back to our theaters with a planned release for the summer of 2025. The project bringing back the Last Son of Krypton is led by writer-directorJames Gunn, who has previously revealed that the first scenes forSupermanhave been shot on locationin Svalbard, Norway. While the new boss of DC Studios has been hard at work, the project overall has been swarmed by various rumorstrying to predict what surprisesmight be in store. The most recent chatter has surrounded the film’s villain, with individuals suggesting thatKal-El (David Corenswet)will have to face off against a cloned evil version of Superman, presumably engineered byNicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. With the rumor persisting, Gunn has taken to Threads to debunk the controversial rumor,affirming that the central rivalry inSupermanwill remain between Clark and Lex.
According to DC Studios,Supermantellsthe story of Kal-El’s journeyto reconcile both his Kryptonian heritage and his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. Despite being part of a world where kindness can be perceived as weakness, Clark will strive to remain the embodiment of truth and justice, with Lex seeking to push him to the limit, according toGunn’s Threads post.
“The primary protagonist ofSupermanis, shockingly, Superman. The main villain ofSupermanis, shockingly, Lex Luthor. I don’t know where all the stuff is coming from that it’s something other than this. There are so many stories coming out every day it’s difficult to deal with and everytime I strike something down I’m giving it attention. So, I’ll say again, don’t believe anything unless you see it HERE (& why would you want to know everything before the movie comes out anyway?)”
Lex Luthor Is The Perfect Villain for DC’s ‘Superman’
While it might have been really cool to see Superman take on an evil version of himself, Gunn and co-CEOPeter Safran’s DCU is kicking things off with the classics. In that case, the choice to go with Lex Luthor as the first film’s big bad is difficult to argue against. Hoult has taken on the task of embodyingthe bald and beautiful Lex, and given how iconic the character is, the actor hasrevealed his favorite version as he steps into the infamous role.
Speaking toMichael Rosenbaum, whoplayed the character for a decade onSmallville, Hoult said:
“Yeah, I grew up whenSmallvillewas on, I can’t remember if it was Channel 4 or Channel 5 in the UK, but like growing up. I was like 11, 12, I guess.And so that was like the show that I would watch and see my first iterations of Superman and Lex and all those stories. Since I’ve seenRichard Donner’smovies and all the other ones and kind of seen some of the other performances,but you’re like the one. I love [your portrayal], it’s the best.”
Supermanwill be released on August 27, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.
