Posted in: Max, Movies, streaming, TV, Warner Bros | Tagged: dc studios, dcu, james gunn, lex luthor, michael rosenbaum, superman, superman legacy

Smallville Star Michael Rosenbaum Welcomes Hoult to Lex Luthor Family

Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum (Inside of You podcast) had nothing but love for Superman: Legacy star Nicholas Hoult, welcoming him into the Lex Luthor family.

As we're sure many of you have heard, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn was finally able to confirm that Nicholas Hoult (Hulu's The Great) was joining the Gunn-written & directed Superman: Legacy as The Man of Steel's arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. Noting that he couldn't be happier with the decision and that Lex was one of his favorite DCU characters, Gunn shared that he & Hoult had already started discussing the latter's take on the big bad. "We went out to dinner last night to celebrate and discuss how we can create a Lex that will be different from anything you've seen before and will never forget," Gunn posted. However Hoult's Lex ends up turning out, he's forging ahead with the support of someone who knows a thing or two about Lex Luthor. Earlier today, Inside of You podcast host Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor, Smallville) posted his support of Hoult, adding, "I know you'll kill it" before welcoming him to "the family."

"Congratulations to Nicholas Hoult! You'll be a great Lex Luthor. You're in good hands with [James Gunn]. Pumped for you, buddy. I know you'll kill it. Welcome to the family. [Nicholas Hoult]," Rosenbaum wrote in an Instagram post earlier today, welcoming Hoult into "The League of Evil Lex's":

Superman: Legacy: James Gunn Has Favorite Lex Luthor & That's Okay

Back over the summer, Gunn checked in with Rosenbaum on the latter's Inside of You podcast to cover a whole ton of issues. At one point, Rosenbaum shifted the "Legacy" conversation to a subject near and dear to his heart – Lex Luthor. Though Rosenbaum said he assumed Lex would be in the film, Gunn made it clear that info never came from him. So from a purely hypothetical standpoint, Rosenbaum asked Gunn if there is a Lex Luthor, that he's portrayed as "grounded and real" and true to the character's core – an approach Gunn seemed to agree with (referring to Rosenbaum as "definitely the best Lex"). Well, that didn't seem to go over well with folks who were fans of Jesse Eisenberg, Gene Hackman, and other folks who've portrayed The Man of Steel's arch-nemesis. In particular, some Zack Snyder fans thought the conversation was a directly veiled slap at the Snyderverse. So after clarifying that it was never intended as any kind of slight, Gunn had to follow up with a tweet where he argued that he had a right to have a favorite Lex – which is a weird thing to be put into a position to have to argue because… you know… opinions. We all have them.

"In reading these replies, sometimes it seems like people are looking for things to get outraged about & have little sense of history. Although Donner's 'Superman' movies are some of my favorites, I've spoken out publicly before, & even written about it in EW back in the early 2000s, perhaps unwisely, that Lex Luthor is not my favorite part of those films," Gunn responded in a tweet looking to put to rest a non-issue that became an issue (shocking for social media, we know). "The portrayal can lean campy & I wished he seemed like a greater threat & I wished he'd played it bald throughout. I regret having intimated that I didn't like ANY Lex on Michael's show, but there it is. For the record, I think Hackman is one of the five greatest actors of the '70s & '80s, and he starred in some of my favorite movies; I just didn't love him as Lex." Here's a look at Gunn's tweet:

Here's a look at the complete episode – and make sure to subscribe to the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum here:

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