Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Nicholas Hoult has been offered the lead role and is negotiating to star in Jack the Giant Killer, the Bryan Singer-directed drama for New Line and Legendary Pictures. Hoult is expected to close quickly, after emerging as the lead following a long testing process. It’s the biggest role so far for the British actor, who has grown from the About A Boy star into a 6’3″ leading man. Hoult starred in the original UK series Skins, and starred in A Single Man. Hoult has X-Men: First Class coming out in June. He plays The Beast, and Singer produced that film, so he knew well what Hoult was capable of. Hoult will also star in Fury Road, the George Miller-directed prequel to the Mad Max films. That will film next year, with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron also starring. Hoult is repped by UTA and UK-based Independent.

Scripted by Christopher McQuarrie, Mark Bomback and Darren Lemke, Jack the Giant Killer is a scary revisionist take on the Jack and the Beanstalk mythology and Hoult will play a farmer who leads an expedition into the giants’ kingdom to rescue a kidnapped princess. Bill Nighy, Stanley Tucci and John Kassir were recently cast.