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You may have heard that there is a new Superman movie coming out this summer directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel and Nicholas Hoult as his nemesis, Lex Luthor. What you may not have known is that Hoult was also in the running to play Superman before landing the part of Luthor and, if he had it all to do over again, it seems he had a devious plan to win the starring role instead.

During a recent feature with Wonderland Magazine, the two actors talked back and forth about the upcoming Superman reboot. David Corenswet explained that he got the phone call from James Gunn while he was on a call with someone else. Unlike everyone else under the age of 50, Corenswet actually took the call from an unknown number, something that Hoult (jokingly) says may have led to him not getting the part himself. “As for why they didn’t cast me [as Superman] – I kept screening ‘co caller ID’ numbers and they didn’t leave a voicemail.”

What makes us think that Hoult really would have tried some trickery to get the part from Corenswet is that this isn’t the only time he casually comments about having gone for the part himself. After David Corenswet says that he asked James Gunn to prove who he really was, Nicholas Hoult came up with a cunning plan to pull the rug out from under his co-star.

“Thinking about it now, what I should’ve done is called you and said, ‘It’s James Gunn, you’ve got the part, we won’t need you for another year. Stay at home, practice, and don’t tell anyone about it,’” Nicholas Hoult told David Corenswet during the feature. Just to prove his villain chops, he continued to explain his devious plan to his Superman co-star. “Then I should’ve called James and said, ‘Don’t get in touch with David. He doesn’t want to do it. How about me?’”

“That’s such a Lex move,” admits David Corenswet.

To be clear, we’re not suggesting that Nicholas Hoult would have tried something so treacherous. But if he did want to steal the role of Superman, at least we know he’s got a plan.

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.