The news of the Jesse Eisenberg Lex Luthor casting today for Batman vs. Superman was not met with the Internet fanboy meltdown that Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman was, but it carried its fair share of groaning nonetheless. However, when you step back and look at the news, it isn’t as bad as everyone is making it seem.
Here are two complaints about the casting:
- He is too young
- He is too twitchy and plays the same characters in all his movies
I disagree with both sentiments. First of all, Jesse Eisenberg is 31 years old – the exact same age as Henry Cavill’s Superman. When I think of Lex Luthor, I think of the older man from the comics who becomes the President of the United States, which is where all these complaints are coming from.
However, I also think of Michael Rosenbaum (who they should have cast) who was barely older than Clark Kent in Smallville. Plus, when I think of the best portrayals of Lex Luthor, I think of Michael Rosenbaum and – honestly – Eisenberg is a lot like Rosenberg.
Second, Jesse Eisenberg does not play the same roles over and over again. His roles in Adventureland, The Squid and the Whale, Zombieland, The Social Network (where he picked up a freaking Oscar nomination) and Now You See Me were all different. And honestly, he proved in those movies that he could play the Rosenbaum version of Lex Luthor.
Add in the fact that this might follow the Smallville theme where he is preparing to run his father’s company and that makes the age seem perfect as well.
I thought the Jesse Eisenberg Lex Luthor casting was ridiculous on first hearing it as well – until I actually thought about it. Now, I think it might be a great casting choice as they try to create something different from the past movies. As Renegade Cinema’s own Brandon Groppi said, let’s just wait and see.
By the way, the other casting news of Jeremy Irons as Alfred has me more worried because he has never seemed that warm of a person to me.
Source: Hollywood Reporter