James Gunn explains how All-Star Superman influenced his reboot movie, especially Nicholas Hoult's "badass" Lex Luthor

Writer/director James Gunn has made no secret about the influence his upcoming Superman reboot movie has taken from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's classic comic book All-Star Superman. And now, with the release of the first official trailer for Superman, Gunn is opening up about the influence the story has had on his film - especially its portrayal of Lex Luthor.

"I mean, All-Star Superman, there's a couple of them, but All-Star Superman is the thing that we borrow the most heavily from," Gunn states at a press event for the trailer's premiere, which GamesRadar+ attended.

"Our plot has nothing to do with All-Star Superman, but some of the aesthetics of what Grant wrote and what Frank drew were incredibly influential," he continues. "They also had that sort of science fiction, and the idea of Lex as a mad science sorcerer, almost. You know, science is his own sort of sorcery. And the giant, you know, the monsters and the threats and all of that the Silver Age look through a green lens. I think a lot of that was taken from All-Star Superman, and that was my biggest one, for sure. Also my favorite."

In terms of Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult in the film, Gunn goes on to describe him as a "badass," and "intimidating".

"Oh my god. I've been holding everything. I have these pictures on my phone. I mean, he is, when Nick Holt is Lex Luthor… Every woman in my life was like, oh my god, I love me a bald man," Gunn quips. "Oh, yeah, he's intimidating. He's a badass, but he's got his reasons. He's not without his reasons for what he's doing. And I think Nick is just a fantastic actor to work with."

So there you have it - Lex Luthor's portrayal in the new Superman movie will take some interesting notes from All-Star Superman. In that comic, Lex develops a serum that temporarily allows him to develop the same powers as Superman, leading to the story's climactic moment. While Gunn states that All-Star Superman doesn't directly inform the plot of his Superman movie, it's not impossible that something like this could be adapted as an element of the movie.

After all, the trailer shows Superman beaten and bloodied - a rare sight which could come at the hands of an empowered Lex Luthor.

We'll find out when the film releases this summer.

Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.