As Snyder Cut Campaign Continues Jesse Eisenberg Reveals Why He'd Like To Play Lex Luthor Again

Jesse Eisenberg in Justice League's credits scene

The DC live-action universe has had an interesting tenure in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. While the Warner Bros. seems to have found its footing in the past few years, the disappointment of Justice League can still be felt. As some fans continue campaigning for the Snyder Cut, new information about Zack Snyder's original vision for the blockbuster have been slowly revealed. Justice League also set up the return of Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor, the DCEU pivoted following the movie's poor reception. And the Zombieland actor still seems interesting in playing that role again.

Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor made his debut as the main antagonist of Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He had a unique take on the beloved comic book character, with more youthful and manic energy. Justice League saw him pop up briefly, introducing Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke in the process. There hasn't been any indication as to when that duo will return to the big screen, although Eisenberg recently commented on the possibility, saying:

Oh yeah, I would love to, because it’s such a cool character. To play a villain in a superhero movie is the fun part. The good guys are fine, but the villains is the fun part because they get to be a little bit more flamboyant. Of course, the hero gets to, you know, survive. But the villain has all the funny lines. I don’t know about the first part, but the second part is something that I could definitely be involved in, sure.

Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. Jesse Eisenberg is ready to hop back into a bald cap and suit as Lex Luthor, and once again get be the bad guy, balancing evil and funny one liners. Because playing the villain is just the best. Now the question is, when could he finally return to theaters as the Superman foe?

Jesse Eisenberg's comments come to us from YouTube, with an interview he did with the channel Inthepanda. The actor's interest in returning to the DCEU is sure to excite the many fans out there who wanted to see the seeds planets in Justice League bloom into something bigger. But following the movie's disappointing performance, a variety of spinoff and sequel plans were put on hold. Still Eisenberg clearly enjoyed playing Lex Luthor, because it's fun to be a bad guy, and get to balance humor and villainy.

After going bald and being arrested in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jesse Eisenberg's version of Lex Luthor had a brief scene following Justice League's credits. The sequence set up Justice League's sequel, with Lex claiming villains needed a league of their own. But once the Joss Whedon cut of the movie failed to impress moviegoers and Zack Snyder departed the DCECU those plans came to a screeching halt.

Since Jesse Eisenberg is still interested, perhaps he'll end up appearing in a Man of Steel sequel... if it ever happens. Henry Cavill has also expressed his interest in returning as Superman, so it seems like a perfect match. We'll just have to see if that blockbuster ever comes to fruition, and which characters might be utilized.

The next installment in the DCEU is Wonder Woman 1984 on June 25th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.