Did Zack Snyder have other plans for Lex Luthor? The director reveals Warner Bros. thoughts when it came to casting Jesse Eisenberg in the DC Universe.
Even for critics of the Snyderverse, it’s generally agreed upon that Zack Snyder had a pretty good eye when it came to casting his DC Universe. At least, most of it. As ever since Batman V. Superman first dropped a decade ago, there has been one character that is almost unanimously agreed as having been miscast. That is, of course, Lex Luthor played by Jesse Eisenberg.
The main critique of Jesse Eisenberg’s take on the DC Universe villain is that he simply didn’t feel like Lex Luthor. Rather, the performance seemed closer to that of the Riddler. Shockingly, it seems as though that was by design, with Zack Snyder telling the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that he wanted to do a different take on the iconic character.
“I mean, we were looking for someone who could bring a different energy. You know, Lex has always been this sort of older, more corporate, bald-headed guy traditionally. And we wanted to do something that felt more contemporary, more tech-bro, more unpredictable.”
“Jesse just had this manic energy that felt right for the version we were doing. He came in and read, and it was electric. He just got it. He understood the weirdness, the danger, the intellect. It wasn’t about making him likeable necessarily, it was about making him scary in a different way.”
Zack Snyder Fought For Lex Luthor
It seems as though the pushback in casting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor didn’t just come from the internet – it came from the studio. Zack Snyder continues on that Warner Bros. was apprehensive about bringing The Social Network star into the DC Universe. However, the first cut of Batman V. Superman managed to win them over.
“Yeah, there was definitely some pushback. But I think once they saw the screen test, it was pretty clear. He had this intensity. And look, Lex is a genius, right? But he’s also unhinged. Jesse could play both sides of that.”
“The scene where he’s talking to Superman in the room with the painting, or the whole Africa sequence, he brought this chaotic vibe that I think was necessary for the story we were telling. It wasn’t the classic Gene Hackman Lex. It was a new interpretation.”
In the years following Zack Snyder’s departure from the DC Universe, Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Lex Luthor has become a cult favorite. While it’s far from the most beloved take on the character, there are some who appreciate the foresight Snyder had in predicting how truly insane “Tech-bro oligarchs” would become in the decade to come.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is currently streaming on HBO Max. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe!
