It turns out that Lex Luthor wasn’t originally supposed to be played by Jesse Eisenberg at all. Not in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, at least.
According to an interview with Jesse Eisenberg, director Zack Snyder originally approached him for a completely different role in the movie. We don’t know what role that was, but Lex Luthor was either going to be played by someone different or not at all, which would have made for a very different movie.
As people paying attention to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice might know, its version of Lex Luthor is very different than the versions played by Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey in previous Superman movies (and Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville for that matter). He’s young, not bald (yet), and seems more like an eccentric yuppie than an egotistical, maniacal CEO as his older appearances were played. This may seem extremely weird to many, but Jesse Eisenberg seems confident that his performance will bring something new and exciting to the table.
Talking about Lex Luthor’s character, Eisenberg had this to say:
“He is a narcissist of the first order but complicated in that way as well in that he is terribly troubled and competitive and vengeful. He looks at Superman not as somebody to destroy but as genuine threat to humanity.”
While Lex Luthor has always been host to campy and hammy performances from actors, and Eisenberg appears to be no exception, this makes him seem more complex than in past movies.
Are you excited or concerned for Lex Luthor’s portrayal? Sound off below!