Why is James Gunn saying Lex Luthor lacks Superman knowledge?

James Gunn explained that Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor doesn’t know Superman and Clark Kent are the same person. The reasoning centers on how the character operates inside the movie’s premise and framing of relationships among major figures, rather than assuming Luthor will automatically have full, public-facing knowledge about every global celebrity.

This matters because it affects how conflict can be generated: a Lex Luthor who isn’t aware of Clark’s identity can’t rely on that leverage, which changes what kinds of schemes and confrontations the story is able to set up.