Now that news has surfaced that David Corenswet has been cast as DC’s new Clark Kent, Nicholas Hoult fans are offering their condolences that the actor lost out to the Superman: Legacy role. But is such sympathy even warranted considering Hoult has played almost every character in human history at this point?
It’s worth noting that some fans believe prayers for Hoult are indeed in order, considering he lost out to not only the Superman role but Batman as well.
As Hoult explained a couple of months back, he audition for the part of Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ excellent 2022 film The Batman (per Vanity Fair), a role that eventually went to Twilight star Robert Pattinson. Hoult later admitted he didn’t “fit as well into that world as Rob did.”
Since then, rumors have surfaced that Hoult, along with Corenswet, was among those on the shortlist for playing Superman, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Fans of The Weather Man actor are not giving up on his future in DC, however, since Lex Luthor is among the many roles comic book aficionados claim he would be great in.
As one fan pointed out, maybe it’s a good thing Hoult didn’t land the Man of Steel role since it now paves the way for him to continue playing more eccentric characters, like his recent turn as the insect-munching titular character in Renfield.
Another movie commentator conceded that while Hoult might actually be the most skilled actor who was up for the role, he doesn’t quite give off the same “Clark Kent energy” as Corenswet does.
Still, others were visibly relieved to hear the news Hoult lost out to the role, no doubt due to the arguable oversaturation of the actor in seemingly every movie ever made. That includes roles such as X-Men’s Beast, J.R.R. Tolkien himself, J.D. Salinger, Jack (of Giant Beanstalk fame), and the boy in About a Boy.
Others simply imagined the emotional reactions Hoult probably had upon hearing this bit of DC rejection news.
I’m not trying to dump on Hoult here. Personally, I’ve enjoyed a lot of his movie roles in the past, especially the memorable but brief appearance he had in Mad Max: Fury Road. In fact, I can get behind the fan-casting of him as Lex Luthor in Gunn’s new DC Universe since he seems like a perfect mid-way point between the overly nerdy Jesse Eisenberg from Batman v Superman and the fan-favorite-but-too-on-the-nose Bryan Cranston. Those piercing eyes and sharp brows also strike me as looking pretty dang similar to my head-canon version of Lex, as well. Plus, the fact that Hoult has lost out to Corenswet could be good acting fodder for playing up the two characters’ rivalry on screen.
Whatever the case, I’m excited to see Corenswet and his co-star, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, light up the screen when Superman: Legacy hits theaters in 2025.