Having secured Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) as Wonder Woman earlier this month, it appears that Zack Snyder is now turning his attention to the villain(s) in Warner Bros. eagerly-anticipated Man of Steel sequel. Last week, it was rumoured that Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) was being eyed for a role – with speculation suggesting the character of Doomsday – and now Variety is reporting that the studio has identified Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, Her) for the main bad guy, thought to be that of billionaire industrialist and criminal genius Lex Luthor.
Phoenix is the second name that Variety has thrown up as a potential villain in the past couple of weeks, the other being Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of an Empire), who the trade says “wouldn’t play the main villain” if he was cast in the film. However, there’s also a handy get-out clause, with the report stating that, “it’s very early in the process and even if Warners offers Phoenix a role, it’s not clear he would accept as the actor has steered clear of big-budget pics in the past few years, leaning towards movies with a more prestige feel.”
What do you think about the possibility of Phoenix as Lex Luthor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Batman vs. Superman is set for release on July 17th 2015 with returning Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill (Clark Kent / Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent) and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) joined in the cast by Ben Affleck (Argo) as Bruce Wayne / Batman.
Originally published December 18, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
