When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters back in 2016, plenty of fans had strong opinions about the movie. One of the loudest debates centered on Jesse Eisenberg stepping into the role of Lex Luthor, especially since audiences were used to a very different version of the villain. Now, nearly a decade later, director Zack Snyder is opening up about fans' reaction to that film and how that casting decision came together as well as why he chose Eisenberg over the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Driver.
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz, Snyder recalled how a few major names were part of early discussions before Eisenberg ultimately landed the part. As mentioned in past interviews, DiCaprio and Driver were among the performers he could imagine shaping the role of Luthor. As he tells it:
It wasn’t that long [a list of actors]. I think Adam Driver, I think DiCaprio, I think those guys were probably, you know, those conversations were — I could see them forming [the role]. But I think, you know, Jesse was like, to me, he was the most modern. He was the most — I just believed in his smarts. And it wasn’t just like normal smarts. It was like another kind of intelligence that it would take — just being a smart guy is not going to get — you’re not gonna beat Superman with just like, ‘Oh, I outsmart him!’
Snyder has talked before about wanting a different kind of Luthor for his now-defunct DC Extended Universe. Instead of the classic older corporate mastermind popularized by actors like Gene Hackman, the filmmaker envisioned a younger, tech-era billionaire whose intellect came with a dangerous edge. That’s where Eisenberg clicked for him. The 300 director continued:
His kind of smarts felt like he could render diabolical smarts, that there wasn’t — he would be willing to sacrifice quite a bit to win, you know what I mean? I felt like, just in my conversations with [Jesse], I always felt like, ‘OK, I buy it. I buy his abilities,’ you know? He’s not just saying these words. I feel him inventing these ideas as he speaks them, and that to me was really the selling point for me on Jesse. I just felt like he was transcendent.
The choice was bold and, as Snyder has acknowledged in other interviews, it wasn’t universally embraced at the time. Many had been fan-casting everyone from Bryan Cranston to Daniel Day-Lewis as the iconic DC villain. As a result, Eisenberg’s jittery, tech-bro interpretation caught many people off guard.
Even the studio reportedly needed some convincing before fully getting on board with the casting. Of course, another factor may have shaped how audiences reacted. Snyder noted that Eisenberg’s Luthor doesn’t appear with the character’s traditional bald look until the final moments of the film. Finally, he added:
Of course, we don’t get to see him in his full shaved head look until the last moment. If he’d come out of the gate like that, it might’ve been a different take. People might’ve had a different take.
I believe BvS does a lot of things well but, love or hate Eisenberg’s version of Lex Luthor, one thing is sure: it was definitely not the safe option. Of course, that was largely the point. Snyder has often said the goal with Batman v Superman was to swing big with a mythic, operatic tone. That approach extended all the way down to his reimagining of one of Superman’s most famous enemies.
The new DC universe is currently moving forward with James Gunn in charge, but if you want to catch Eisenberg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, along with all the Snyderverse films, stream them with an HBO Max subscription.
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