James Gunn Shares Why He Didn't Cast His Friend Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN: LEGACY

Smallville actor Michael Rosenbaum is a longtime friend of DC Studios co-CEO and Superman: Legacy director James Gunn. Some fans were hoping to see Gunn cast Rosenbaum as Lex in the upcoming Superman movie, but that’s not how things went down. Gunn cast Nicholas Hoult in the role and promised that his version of Lex will be one that fans will never forget.

It’s pretty obvious to me why Gunn didn’t cast Rosenbaum as the actor already had a long run of playing Lex Luthor on the hit series Smallville. He was great in that show, but to have him play a different version of the character all these years later would feel a little odd.

When asked on Threads why he didn’t cast Rosenbaum in the role, Gunn responded, saying: "I love Michael - he was my favorite Lex and he’s one of my very close friends. But I wanted a Lex who was contemporaries with Superman."

Now, even though Rosenbaum isn’t playing Lex doesn’t mean he’s not going to play another character in the DC Cinematic Universe that Gunn is building. There are so many DC characters that Gunn is looking to play with over the next ten years and it’s safe to say that Rosenbaum will end up playing one of them. We’ll just have to wait and see what character that will be.

Who would you like to see Rosenbaum play?

Superman: Legacy will tell 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 the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”

Superman: Legacy will launch the movie part of DC Studios’ Gods and Monsters: Part 1. It’s scheduled for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.