Variety just broke the news. The “Man of Steel” sequel, which has already stirred some pretty epic hullabaloo with its casting decisions, officially has its villain. Lex Luthor will officially be played by…
Wait, seriously? Jesse Eisenberg?
Eisenberg’s career has not been notable for his evil roles, unless of course you count his portrayal of Facebook founder/Antichrist* Mark Zuckerberg. More to the point, he’s played the mild mannered, stammering, nerdy man-boy to clockwork consistency. When I think of Luthor, I think of a commanding, voluminous Presence-with-a-capital-“P.” When I think of Luthor, without any insult to this young man intended, I think of everything his standard performances are not.
Is this a genius move? Is this the biggest risk in comics-casting history? I have to admit that while I think “Man of Steel 2” will be farcical at best, I’m now pretty damn curious to see this young man flex his villain muscles.
_-_2013.jpg)
In a secondary announcement, one that is far less likely to cause the internet to supernova, Jeremy Irons has been cemented in the role of Alfred Pennyworth. That casting certainly conjures images of the Geoff Johns written Alfred of Earth One, a grizzled war vet.
Warner Bros. Pictures has cast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons will play Alfred in the upcoming Superman–Batman film.
The castings, announced Friday, come two weeks after Warner pushed production on the untitled “Superman-Batman” movie to the second quarter of this year and set a release date of May 6, 2016 as the studio departed from a July, 2015 slot.
*kmc1138’s nutcase conspiracies do not reflect the opinions of Big Shiny Robot!, and also please don’t punish me, Facebook.