Nicholas Hoult in talks to play the iconic villain Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy alongside new Man of Steel played by David Corenswet

Nicholas Hoult will be the latest in a long line of actors to play the villainous Lex Luthor on Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Superman: Legacy.

Hoult, 33, is in talks to play Luthor The Hollywood Reporterand while no deal has been finalized yet, talks have been underway before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The casting comes six months after reports surfaced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper turned down the role of Lex Luthor.

Hoult will join David Corenswet as Clark Kent, aka Superman, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, with Hoult also a finalist for the role of Superman that went to Corenswet.

The cast also includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

Rejected: The casting comes six months after reports surfaced that Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper turned down the role of Lex Luthor

In late June, it was reported that Hoult was initially wanted for the role of Luthor, although he also wanted to sign on for the role of Superman.

Hoult was considered one of the finalists for the role alongside Corenswet, who ultimately got the role, and Tom Brittney.

Siblings Alexander Skarsgard and Bill Skarsgard were also featured on Warner Bros.’ shortlisted for the role of Luthor.

The Lex Luthor character made his first comic book appearance in Action Comics #23 in April 1940, created by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

The villainous character has been portrayed on the big screen several times, first by Gene Hackman alongside Christopher Reeve as the title character in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and two of its sequels.

Kevin Spacey took over the character in 2006’s Superman Returns, pitting him against Brandon Routh’s Man of Steel.

Jesse Eisenberg reprized the character in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman.

The character has also been portrayed many times on the small screen, with John Shea playing the villain in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Michael Rosenbaum playing him in Smallville, Jon Cryer in the multiple Arrowverse shows, Michael Cudlitz in Superman & Lois and Titus Welliver in Titans.

Submission for Supes: It was reported in late June that Hoult was initially wanted for the role of Luthor, although he also wanted to submit himself for the role of Superman

Comics Lex: The Lex Luthor character first appeared in a comic book in Action Comics #23 in April 1940, created by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

First Lex: The villainous character has been portrayed on the big screen several times, first by Gene Hackman alongside Christopher Reeve as the title character in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and two of its sequels

Kevin as Lex: Kevin Spacey took over the character in 2006’s Superman Returns, taking on Brandon Routh’s Man of Steel

Jesse as Lex: Jesse Eisenberg reprized the character in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman

Hoult started acting when he was just five years old, but his real breakthrough came when he starred opposite Hugh Grant in 2002’s About a Boy at the age of thirteen.

He would go on to star in the British TV series Skins, along with big budget projects such as Clash of the Titans and X-Men: First Class.

The actor is coming off the new season of his Hulu series The Great alongside Elle Fanning, which was canceled after its third season, and Renfield with Nicolas Cage.

He’ll next see Garfield, who lends his voice to Jon, the titular cat’s owner, and he also has Nosferatu set for release in 2024.