It’s time to think out of the box if a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star is in the running for Lex Luthor

The hunt for the new cast of DC’s reboot of Superman is underway and the rumor mill is working hard. Already we have heard of a handful of front runners, but some sources indicate that James Gunn may be picking a certain villainous character from amongst his Guardians of the Galaxy cast, and now we have an interesting contender to add to the mix.

Lex Luthor is an iconic villain and the foil of Superman who uses his wealth to find new and creative ways to take down a literal godlike man. The role has been played by multiple actors in the past, from Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns (2006) to Gene Hackman in Superman (1978), to the much-maligned version of the character played by Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Now, Gunn is looking for new blood to take on the part, and with rumors swirling that he has spoken to a Guardians cast member, some people think he could go for a completely out-of-the-box approach altogether, and cast Karen Gillan.

This is probably to do with the fact that the actress has already sported the classic bald-headed look that Lex Luthor is so known for when she shaved off all her hair for the first Guardians of the Galaxy film to play the role of Nebula. Though she has since grown her hair out and instead opts to wear a bald cap instead, we know that she can rock the look. It’s not a look that a lot of Hollywood actresses usually opt for, though when they do it makes a strong statement; think Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta, or Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Now, it is very unlikely this will actually be the case, but if they were to go a little more left-field with their casting we would applaud them. It would be very interesting to see this role gender swapped, and have a powerful, wealthy, and slightly unhinged female antagonist to foil Superman.

However, it would appear that British actor Nicholas Hoult is currently ahead in the race to play the villain after a short list of actors made its way into the public eye. He is currently the only actor who appears to be in consideration for the character, and we know for a fact that he has the range to take it on. With only speculation to go on though, we must be patient and wait for an announcement from Gunn and DC as to who we will be booing in theatres next.