English: The British actor Jeremy Irons presenting his new movie Margin Call at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) 2011. Français : L'acteur britannique Jeremy Irons photographié lors de la présentation du film Margin Call à la Berlinale de 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Warner Bros. has revealed their new Lex Luthor, the villainous businessman set to harass Superman in the upcoming sequel to the $668 million grossing superhero reboot movie Man of Steel. Jesse Eisenberg, best known for portraying Mark Zuckerberg in the Oscar-winning film The Social Network, will take on the role of Luthor, which is expected to be a supporting villain role in the new film, with another villain posing a more direct physical threat to Superman. The identity of a second villain has yet to be officially confirmed, although it's widely assumed based on word from sources familiar with the production.
Jeremy Irons, who won an Oscar for his performance as Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune and perhaps best known for his villainous portrayal in Die Hard: With a Vengeance, will take the role as Alfred, the faithful butler of Bruce Wayne (aka Batman), who of course will be played by Ben Affleck in the movie.
The casting of Irons isn't a big surprise, as his name has been on the short-list of potential/likely choices for some time. Irons brings the sort of stature and seriousness Warner has always preferred for the role, and continues the tradition of filing the modern DC films with a supporting cast of high-caliber, well-known dramatic stars.
Eisenberg is likewise a respected and great performer, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Zuckerberg and winning acclaim for other rules such as his notable supporting role in The Squid and the Whale and his lead performance in Adventureland, as well as a hilarious comedic turn in Zombieland. However, his casting as Luthor came as a bit of a surprise because of his youthful appearance. Most predictions for the casting were focused on older performers, with only a few relatively younger names showing up in the mix. Joaquin Phoenix was probably the youngest name mentioned, when he was rumored to have been offered the role (that claim, however, was old at best).
But in fact, at 30 years old Eisenberg is the same age as Henry Cavill, who will portraying Superman in the film. And many fans were indeed hoping for a Luthor about the same age as the hero.
While unexpected, the casting of Eisenberg is in fact a great idea for several reasons. First and foremost, Eisenberg is a terrific actor with a solid resume proving he can handle a wide variety of roles, including several in which he played geniuses with devilish schemes. He has the potential to be a very different sort of Lex Luthor that we've not seen before - someone younger, perhaps even portrayed as a bit younger than Superman, a boy-genius with billions inherited from his father and convinced of his own unique greatness who now faces the prospect of a man bigger, stronger, more unique and great than Luthor could ever hope to be. It's not hard to imagine Eisenberg distilling the qualities of Luthor into a young man whose brilliant mind is matched only by his pettiness and cruelty.
Eisenberg also happens to have a fanbase, and a history of picking good winning projects. Last year's Now You See Me was a sleeper hit, to the tune of $350 million. Of course, the Man of Steel follow-up - tentatively referred to as Batman vs. Superman unless/until a new title is announced - is all but guaranteed to rule the summer, especially now that it's moved release dates to 2016 for a much stronger position. With Batman and Superman squaring off against one another, plus Wonder Woman dropping in for a brief appearance, and the prospect of some other heroes likely cameoing in some way, the film is instantly presumed to be in the running for a $1 billion showing sight-unseen. If it's good or even great, then that figure will of course adjust upward.
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