Something fishy is going on over at the DC/Warner Bros. camp–and no, that was not an Aquaman pun. News dropped January 31 about two new casting additions for Man of Steel’s sequel. Seemingly out of nowhere, it has been confirmed that Jeremy Irons (The Lion King, Die Hard) and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) are playing Alfred and Lex Luthor, respectively. To reiterate, Jesse Eisenberg is playing Lex Luthor.
Let that sink in for a minute. Eisenberg is widely known for his portrayal of social media entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, which he was given an Oscar nomination for, and his turn as a shy, inexperienced noob in Zombieland.
This, children, is what they call a “left-field-choice”. Why? Because no one who has ever even taken a glance at the character would think: “Yeah, that’s the guy we want as Luthor”.
More notably, a lot of sweaty fans were rooting for Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) most assuredly because he has proven himself to be a formidable villain with the added bonus of a bald head.
Soon after the announcement, the Twitterverse gave voice to a couple of gags on the young actor’s behalf.
One user tweeted: “Zack Snyder: we said Heisenberg not Eisenberg”. Another user alluded to the Zuckerberg complex, tweeting that “They give Lex Luthor to whoever can turn around in a chair and slow-clap the best.”
In the way of decisions so far, it seems as if every casting choice has out bombed the one that preceded it.
First came news of Ben Affleck as Batman and then, model and Fast and Furious alum Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Director Zach Snyder had this to say: “[Lex] is a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to… take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”
Despite being in his thirties, Eisenberg still looks like an anxious first year in college with a voice to match. If they are looking to take Luthor in new and unexpected directions, well, they have certainly outdone themselves. Maybe this time around we will trade the camp and greed for a much more complex and sociopathic, tech savvy billionaire.
Zhana Johnson
Features Correspondent