Why Can't Nicholas Hoult Land A Big Superhero Role? - Opinion
From Gaius Bolling
Nicholas Hoult found himself in a very familiar position this week. The incredibly talented actor, who is arguably one of the better performers of his generation today, was in the running for the role of Clark Kent/Superman in James Gunn's DCU redo, Superman: Legacy. The choice came down to himself, David Corenswet, and Tom Brittney and as we all learned recently, Mr. Corenswet landed the role alongside Rachel Brosnahan, who will be taking on the role of Lois Lane. Actors are no strangers to losing out on roles but Nicholas Hoult is in an interesting position because he missed out on another high-profile DC role when it came down to the wire. Given his talent, why can't the guy stick the landing when it comes to becoming our next great superhero on the big screen?
The other big DC role that Hoult missed out on was Bruce Wayne/Batman in Matt Reeves' The Batman, a part that ultimately went to Robert Pattinson. The actor admitted that he did indeed screen test for the part and if you remember the chatter from back then, he was in serious contention much like he was for the role of Superman. At this point, Hoult is 33 years old, has movie star good looks and the talent to back it up. He seems more than capable to take on this major undertaking and yet, the powers that be go in another direction. In the case of The Batman, he has a similar aesthetic to Robert Pattinson that would've made him perfect for the direction Reeves was taking the character in that film. I would even argue that he has more of the essence of a younger Bruce Wayne than Pattinson as well.
According to reports, the role in The Batman really did come down to Pattinson and Hoult for Reeves. The role was written for someone around 30 years old and that fit both actors perfectly at the time. Both of them tested in a Batman suit from a previous movie so he could see how each would look and embody the character. At the end of the day, Reeves really had specific things in mind for his Batman and Pattinson encompassed that a bit more than him. This came down more to preferences regarding his vision rather than the talent of the two actors.
On paper, Hoult is ideal for a comic book tentpole release if you want to lend some credibility to it. He has prestige acting chops as you can see in films such as A Single Man and Tolkien. He can also tackle all types of genres as he has admirably displayed in The Favourite, the Hulu comedy-drama series The Great, The Menu, and Renfield. Lastly, and perhaps maybe the most important, he knows his way around action and comic book films. If you can endure the conditions of Mad Max: Fury Road, you can handle anything, and he has already dabbled in the world of superhero films across several X-Men movies as a young Hank McCoy/Beast. He has what it takes but could this all come down to a matter of perception?
As the news of David Corenswet landing the role in Superman: Legacy spread, so did speculation as to why Nicholas Hoult lost his shot yet again. The one thing that seemed to be brought up the most is that Hoult doesn't have "leading man charisma" to pull off playing Superman. There were many comparisons to Henry Cavill who they thought exuded those qualities. While Hoult's talent never came into question, his look did on many occasions. The "not fight enough" debate was started as well, but I call bullshit on that because many actors have successfully bulked up for roles when necessary. I'm sure if he was given the opportunity, Hoult would make the necessary gains to be convincing. If you want to make the argument that Corenswet looks more like Clark Kent as we know him over Hoult, that's something I could work with because he does like the part of Hoult and that, along with his talent and potential chemistry with Brosnahan, likely sealed the deal for him.
Adding insult to injury, Hoult hasn't just missed out on roles in big comic book films. The actor also screen-tested for Top Gun: Maverick. The actor didn't disclose which part he went for but many speculate it was for Bradly "Rooster" Bradshaw, a role that ultimately went to Miles Teller. There is also a possibility it could've been for Jake "Hangman" Seresin, which was handled by Glen Powell. In a stroke of nearly good luck for Hoult, Tom Cruise liked what he did in the screen test so much that he offered him a villain role in Mission: Impossible 7 before it would become Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 1. Hoult was officially cast in January 2020 but by May 2020 he had to exit the film due to his contractual obligation to The Great. For those keeping track at home, Hoult lost out on The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mission: Impossible 7 all in a row. Now he gets to add Superman: Legacy to the list.
All is not lost for Hoult in regards to Superman: Legacy, however. Reports suggest that he could also be in the running for the role of Lex Luthor in the film but he faces competition from two brothers: Alexander and Bill Skarsgård. That race could be even tighter than the role of Superman since all three actors have the talent to pull off the role. Hell, it seems like Alexander put in practice for it already during his time on Succession. There is also the character of Jimmy Olsen. I'm not sure if Hoult would be in that running but given his range as an actor, I could also totally see him playing Clark Kent's colleague at the Daily Planet, although I suspect Gunn might move to cast someone a bit younger for the part.
For fans of someone like Nicholas Hoult, when he misses out on a huge franchise project like Superman: Legacy, they're a bit happen because it leaves it open for him to take on a variety of roles without being tied down to a potential multi-picture deal. That can sometimes come along with projects like the DCU release but it also seems like something Hoult really wants. While he has character actor sensibilities, he appears to want to be the leading man. The fact that he keeps missing his shot is on the way to becoming a talking point in pop culture but since he seems to want it so bad, maybe a filmmaker should give him the shot because he obviously has the passion to want to pull it off.
