The internet practically imploded last week with the shocking announcement that The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg had been cast as Lex Luthor in the sequel to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Plenty of folks were ready to throw in their two cents and explain why Eisenberg was wrong for the role – but most of those assumptions are based on the version of Lex Luthor that we know from the comics. According to a new report, however, we may be seeing an entirely different Lex Luthor on the big screen.
Latino Review is reporting that Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor will indeed have a shaved head – as well as plenty of tattoos, including a detailed sleeve of the Metropolis skyline. He’ll also be the richest man on the planet, a self-made billionaire by the time he turned 18. But prior to becoming a business mogul, Lex was living on the streets, and joined a street gang in order to keep himself alive. He quickly learned that his intelligence was his greatest asset, and it didn’t take long before the other gang members were taking orders from him.
Lex regards Bruce Wayne with little more than disdain, viewing himself as the superior since his fortune was earned, while Wayne’s was inherited. Wayne apparently don’t care much for Lex, either, but is willing to set aside their differences in order for Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp to work together toward rebuilding Metropolis. Lex isn’t terribly interested, as he’s more focused on trying to rid Metropolis of Superman, who he considers an alien menace.
Latino Review points out that Chris Terrio is rewriting the current draft of the screenplay for Batman vs. Superman, and some of these details may be subject to change. But they’re also confident in their sources on this one. I’m not sure how I feel about the tattoos and the street gang background, but the rest sounds pretty close to what I had pictured when I first heard the casting anouncement.
Batman vs. Superman will be shooting this year, with a release date scheduled for May 6, 2016.