When Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, we should have been paying attention. Because the still officially-untitled Batman vs. Superman seems committed to casting unlikely, yet strangely appropriate actors in its most iconic roles. Today Warner Bros. announced that Jesse Eisenberg, the Oscar-nominated star of The Social Network, will play Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor in the upcoming superhero team-up. The news already has many fans scratching their heads, but we think it could work.
At 30 years old, Eisenberg would be one of the youngest Lex Luthors on record, but in The Social Network and Now You See Me the young star proved that despite his youth and lack of muscle mass he can fill a room with the size of his characters’ ego, and be an intimidating presence through sheer force of will. And unlike many stars of his generation, when Eisenberg plays an intellectual, audiences believe it.
The casting does seem to follow the current trend of Hollywood equating “youth” with “super genius,” which may not be far off, or may simply be the result of all the elder statesmen of the industry enlisting their kids and interns to troubleshoot their iPhones. In 2012, Skyfall recast the stuffy tech genius “Q” as a snippier younger character, hiring Ben Whishaw to meet the challenge. Plus, just look at The Internship. (On second thought, please don’t.)
CraveOnline spoke to Jesse Eisenberg just two weeks ago at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival about his new comedy The Double, in which he hinted at absolutely nothing. Dang it.
Warner Bros. also announced that Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune) has been cast as the new Alfred Pennyworth. Previous live-action Alfred Pennyworths have been played by Michael Caine and Michael Gough. Jeremy Irons is a respected actor who in recent years has gravitated towards genre material like Beautiful Creatures and Eragon, in addition to his leading role on “The Borgias.” Although Alfred Pennyworth will presumably be a supporting role at most, Batman vs. Superman would be Irons’ most high-profile film project since 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven.
Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman (or whatever it’s going to be called) opens worldwide on May 6, 2016.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
