With all the commotion surrounding Warner’s casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, people seem to have momentarily forgotten about one of the other most talked about roles for Batman Vs. Superman, Lex Luthor. While there hasn’t been any official confirmation that Luthor will be one of the villains in the Man Of Steel sequel, or even in Justice League, many have been working under that assumption and trying to guess who will play the (traditionally) bald businessman anyway. Well, the speculation may be coming to rest soon, as the folks over at Cosmic Book News claim that not only has Luthor been cast, but their source tells them the actor taking on the role is none other than Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston.
If the report is true, not only has Cranston been cast as Luthor for Batman Vs. Superman, but he has signed a six (yes six) film deal with the studio, and that’s only the minimum. There’s a chance he could appear in up to 10 superhero flicks in the coming years. Not only does Cranston have that ridiculously long deal, but Ben Affleck (that guy who was cast as Batman) has a whopping 13 picture deal!
Before you take this all as fact, the information is not officially coming from Warner Bros., nor does it have a named source, and the folks over at Cosmic have been wrong with their scoops before. I’m always skeptical of unnamed sources, and you should be too. But if this does happen to be true, it’s HUGE for the future of the DC cinematic universe.
Keep in mind, a 13 film deal for Affleck doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing 13 Batman movies. While I wouldn’t be opposed to that, I think chances are slim that we’ll see Batman battling the Condiment King in this string of films (because if they make 13 movies, he’d HAVE to battle the Condiment King), What’s more likely is Batman popping up briefly in a film for the Flash or for Booster Gold, adding to the count that will also include Justice League and some stand-alone Batman films.
Mark Strong was also rumored for the role of Luthor, but the main thing working against him was his role as Sinestro. There’s a chance he may still reprise that role going forward. Also, the jokes about Matt Damon joining the JLA alongside his childhood buddy turned Batman may prove to be true as the actor is reportedly in consideration for Aquaman or Martian Manhunter.
This report claims that the official announcement about Cranston’s casting will come after this season of Breaking Bad, meaning we’ve got quite some time to speculate on whether this all is true or just completely ridiculous. I’m assuming you loyal readers have some thoughts on the matter, so you should head on down to the comments section and let us know what you think of these actors potentially signing their lives away far beyond Batman Vs. Superman.