After his debut as the villainous Lex Luthor in last weekend's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jesse Eisenberg seems well set up as one of the DC Cinematic Universe's big bads. Though don't get too excited about the possibility of seeing Lex Luthor anytime soon, as his fate is apparently not as set in stone as we'd thought.
During an interview with Business Insider, Eisenberg was asked about whether the rather ominous ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was hinting at his own continued involvement in the DC Comics film canon. His reply was the following, slightly surprising statement:
I don’t know if they are so settled on where my character goes. I only hope I have another opportunity to work with these wonderful people and play this interesting character.
In a world where multi-film contracts are the norm, and multiple appearances are seeded throughout the entirety of a cinematic universe once a character is in play, the fact that Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor isn't set for Justice League: Part One could be a slight cause for concern. While becoming a box office behemoth after this weekend's exemplary performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Zack Snyder film has earned its fair share of detractors. Not only that, but some of those detractors have demanded that Snyder be removed from the director's chair for the first of two Justice League films planned for the current phase of DC Comics' film slate. Should Warner Bros. somehow decide to bow to the pressure, this could leave the door open to recast any roles that the new director may feel need to be reworked for the long run.
It's this possibility, coupled with Jesse Eisenberg's statement that Lex Luthor's future is up in the air, that has us wondering if any hypothetical new helmer for Justice League: Part One would take the opportunity to re-cast Metropolis' criminal mastermind with another actor. Though judging by the attention to continuity that the DC Cinematic Universe is trying to implement, as well as the character traits for this version of Lex Luthor being deeply rooted in Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal, it does not seem like a likely possibility. While the next appearance of Eisenberg's Luthor may not be set in stone, it doesn't seem like he'll be joining the ranks of Katie Holmes or Terrance Howard any time soon.
The DC Cinematic Universe is at an interesting crossroads at the moment, with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice managing to both break records and illicit the most varied audience response of any superhero movie in quite some time. Obviously any decisions that are to be made about Justice League: Part One will have to be weighed carefully, so as not to veer too closely to either the comic fans or movie fans following this franchise. You can take and compare notes with your fellow movie patrons as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters now.
