Back when it was announced that Jesse Eisenberg was set to play Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Internet didn’t take too kindly to it. However, a photo of the actor in the role did change a few minds. In an interview with MTV, Jesse Eisenberg has been talking about the role and if there are any comparisons to Gene Hackman’s portrayal in Superman: The Motion Picture.
“It’s a really great character. It was written by this guy, Chris Terrio, he’s a phenomenal writer,” he said. “He comes from a place of character. He loves my character in the same way I love my character. He put a lot of work into it. It’s a great character. There’s an emotional core to character. It’s not a silly villainous character.”
“It is an entirely different thing,” Eisenberg explained when asked about Gene Hackman. “Also, the tone of that movies is so different, like that movie wouldn’t be made now. Like the way we expect movies to be now is to have some kind of – I mean, it’s probably for the best – there’s some kind of psychological accuracy. That the person is coming from a place probably diagnosable in some way.”
Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
SEE ALSO: Watch the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice here
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set for release on March 25th 2016 and sees Zack Snyder directing a cast that includes returning Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Harry Lennix (General Swanwick) and Christina Wren (Carrie Farris) alongside Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jesse Eisenberg (Now You See Me) as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) as Alfred Pennyworth and Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Holly Hunter (The Piano), Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of an Empire), Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) and Scoot McNairy (Argo) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
Originally published June 19, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
