The reboot Superman: Legacy continues to fill out its cast now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. With the film still scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025, production needs to begin soon so expect more details to emerge in the coming months.
It has been announced that Nicholas Hoult will portray Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio will portray Eve Teschmacher, and María Gabriela de Faría will play another villain, The Engineer.
They join headliners David Corenswet as Superman/ Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
Neither Hoult nor Luthor need any introduction. Hoult is one of the busiest and most acclaimed young actors in Hollywood. Months ago, he was reportedly in the running to actually play Superman, but it seems that director and producer James Gunn decided to pivot him to the antagonist role instead.
This marks Hoult’s second comic book role, having played Hank McCoy/ The Beast in the most recent X-Men movies. Earlier this year, he starred in Renfield with Nicolas Cage, an actor that was set to play Superman himself in the 1990s.
Lyle Talbot played Luthor in the 1950 serial Atom Man vs. Superman, but the best-remembered cinematic version was Gene Hackman’s depiction in 1978’s Superman: The Movie, as well as the sequels Superman 2, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. In subsequent films, the villain was embodied by Kevin Spacey and Jesse Eisenberg.
Gisondo broke out in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza and went on to star in the TV series The Righteous Gemstones.
Jimmy Olsen originated outside of the comics, on the radio show The Adventures of Superman. Tommy Bond portrayed the character in the serials Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman. Marc McClure played Jimmy in the ’70s-80s movies, including Supergirl. Sam Huntington depicted him in Superman Returns.
Portuguese model Sampaio has a few acting credits but is a relative newcomer. She portrays Eve Teschmacher, a character introduced in Superman: The Movie, portrayed by Valerie Perrine. Teschmacher serves as Luthor’s assistant/ love interest.
Finally, de Faria will portray The Engineer, a character that has widely been reported as a villain in Superman: Legacy. In the comics, The Engineer is a computerized member of The Authority, a dark take on the Justice League. This team is slated to get their own movie in the relaunched DCU so more members may show up.
de Faria was most recently seen in the series Animal Control and starred in the movie The Exorcism of God. She co-starred in another comic book adaptation, the short-lived series Deadly Class on Syfy.
The cast of Superman: Legacy also includes Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern/ Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Stay tuned for more updates as they arrive.
