Superman: Nicholas Hoult Reveals How All-Star Superman Is Inspiring His Lex Luthor

Nicholas Hoult is officially set to play the next Lex Luthor, with the actor confirmed to be starring in the role in James Gunn's Superman reboot. DC fans are definitely excited to see how Hoult puts his stamp on Superman's iconic archenemy, and now the actor has revealed one very specific piece of inspiration. During a recent appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Hoult revealed that he has been bulking up for his Superman performance, after being motivated by an exchange between Lex and Superman in Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's beloved 12-issue series All-Star Superman. 

"I have been working out," Hoult revealed. "There's that bit in All-Star Superman where he talks about his muscles being real and hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of a fuel for the fire."

Is James Gunn's Superman Inspired by All-Star Superman?

Ever since Gunn and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran unveiled their DC Studios slate in January of 2023, All-Star Superman has been tied to their reboot of the Man of Steel, down to using one of Quietly's covers for the series as early promotional art. Still, Gunn has confirmed that his Superman movie is definitely not a direct adaptation of All-Star Superman.

"I'm a huge fan of All-Star Superman, and it is very inspired by All-Star Superman," Gunn told reporters in January of 2023.

What Is Superman About?

Per DC Studios, Superman 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 a better tomorrow, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. 

"We got James Gunn and Peter (Safran) working very hard on DC, which is going to be a very big growth driver for this company," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav explained last year. "We are very bullish on DC. The Superman script first draft is done. Gunn is on a mission from god. It is a really good moment to prove out on DC what we got and how strong it is globally for long-term sustainable growth."

Who Will Star in Superman?

Superman will also star David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemore as Otis, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho.

"We've been having a lot of great conversations, David and I, with James Gunn, the director," Brosnahan revealed in a recent interview. "We've been talking a lot about where this project fits into the canon of the Supermans that we know. So hopefully, this'll be... we'll be putting our own stamp on things."

Superman is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.