Jesse Eisenberg’s casting as megalomaniacal villain Lex Luthor in the untitled Batman vs. Superman caught virtually everyone in Hollywood off guard. With so many hefty actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Bryan Cranston and even Tom Hanks speculated for the role, few people had the 30-year-old Social Network star on their radar. His casting brought around new speculation for the angle that director Zack Snyder was looking at for the character and even how prominent his role would be in a film that already has the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel in it.
Now, a report from Latino Review explains that Eisenberg’s portrayal of Luthor in Batman vs. Superman will be as a former street gang member who turned into a self-made billionaire at 18. Readers should note that much of Latino Review’s report is rumour and has not yet been confirmed by the studio, especially since Argo‘s Chris Terrio is currently re-working the screenplay. However, the angle is intriguing, nevertheless.
The report claims that Luthor will be bald and into body art, with a “detailed sleeve tattoo of the Metropolis skyline on his right art.” As a teenager, he was living on the streets and initiated into a gang shortly before becoming its leader. Soon after his rise in the gang world, he becomes a self-made billionaire by age 18 and later Metropolis’ richest man. The report also explains that Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne, both wealthy tech magnates, will meet early in the story. Both men resent each other, with Wayne calling Luthor an “amoral, arrogant brat” and Luthor jealous of Wayne’s silver spoon childhood.
After reading this description, Eisenberg’s casting seems like a no-brainer, given his nuanced, darkly comic turn as another young billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg. With the intensity and the intelligence to make Luthor an unnerving, power-hungry villain with resentment for both Bruce Wayne and Superman, these character details add an intriguing conflict to what is already shaping up to be an entertaining ride.
Tell us, what are your thoughts about these speculated character and plot details for Batman vs. Superman?