Nicholas Hoult breaks his silence on James Gunn leaving DC: “One of my favorite collaborators”
Nicholas Hoult has weighed in on James Gunn’s exit from DC Studios leadership — and he’s not exactly faint with praise.
Right, if you've been following the DCU soap opera, you'll know the whole leadership shake-up is full of twists, a bit of uncertainty, and inevitably, a few awkward tributes. Nicholas Hoult, now the resident Lex Luthor in the Gunn era, has stepped up to say his bit about James Gunn and the wider reshuffle as the studio gets prepped for its next act.
Hoult Tips His Hat to Gunn (and Safran)
After it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as co-chiefs of DC Studios after what feels like only five minutes (technically four years), Hoult was asked what he made of it all. For those not glued to the trades: Gunn and Safran officially step down on 1 December 2026, with Jeremy Latcham – yes, formerly Marvel's – replacing them as both president and chief creative officer. That's about as big as baton-passes get in the studio world.
Hoult, chatting to Associated Press, kept things positive on the topic:
James is, you know, one of my favorite collaborators. He's an incredible creative, and he and Peter are, like, wonderful friends of mine as well.
The pair aren't disappearing entirely. Gunn and Safran will see out whatever projects they have mid-stream, so don't expect any sudden rewrites or reshuffles for what's already booked in. Still, DC's roadmap from here on out is set to have a distinctly different navigator.
Superman's New Era and What's Next
Hoult first took up his villain duties as Luthor in Superman (the Gunn reboot, not your dad's), which landed back in July 2025. For context, David Corenswet played the new Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan brought her sharp wit to Lois Lane, making it a proper line-up shake-up. The film did what the bigwigs wanted, clocking roughly $618.7 million at the global box office and, more importantly for fans, laying the foundations for a revitalised DCU.
Superman (2025) pulled in around $618.7 million worldwide, kickstarting the new-look DCU.
As for what's next, Man of Tomorrow is already barreling down the track. Hoult's sticking around as Luthor, and this time there's a twist: he'll be in an unlikely alliance with Supes himself, taking on Brainiac (portrayed by Lars Eidinger). The plan on paper? James Gunn stays on to write and direct this sequel, even as he makes his exit from the top job at DC Studios. So, while the suits are shuffling chairs upstairs, the creative circle for this film remains firmly in place – for now, at least.
Hoult wasn't shy about backing the project, calling himself "really proud" of what the team put together last time, and sounding genuinely keen for the next chapter:
I'm really proud of what we created with the first Superman movie, and I'm so excited for people to see Man of Tomorrow as well because I think we've made something really special. So I'm looking forward to that.
The next film, Man of Tomorrow, is set for release on 9 July 2027.