Luthor and Alfred

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**reds8n**

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/jesse-eisenberg-cast-as-lex-luthor-in-supermanbatman-jeremy-irons-set-as-alfred-1201079902/

Warner Bros. Pictures has cast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons will play Alfred in the upcoming Superman/Batman film.

The castings, announced Friday, come two weeks after Warner pushed production on the untitled “Superman-Batman” movie to the second quarter of this year and set a release date of May 6, 2016 as the studio departed from a July, 2015 slot.

The film is in pre-production with Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman and Zack Snyder directing.

‘Batman-Superman” will also reunite “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane, and also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince.

The screenplay will be written by David S. Goyer, from a story co-created by Goyer and Snyder. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as exec producers.

“Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940,” Snyder said. “What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”

Irons is replacing Michael Caine, who portrayed in all three Christian Bale “Batman” films.

“As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure,” Snyder said. “He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”

Eisenberg next appears in “The Double” and “Night Moves.” Irons recently appeared in the television miniseries “The Hollow Crown” as Henry IV.

**kronk**

Irons is kick ass!

**Sasori**

This seems a bit... odd to me.

Jesse Eisenberg seems a bit young to play Lex, and Jeremy Irons is too evil to play Alfred.

**Ouze**

Man, people got all butthurt about Ben Affleck, but the real crime is Eisenberg, an actor who in my opinion has no ability to convey menace, playing Lex fething Luthor. I guess in this movie, Lex's superpower will be petulant arrogance.

**Frazzled**

Eisenberg? I like Eisenberg but..what?

You want a good Luthor you need to bring Kevin Spacey back...

**Ouze**

It's funny, I was thinking the same thing. That movie kinda sucked but Spacey was pretty solid as Luthor.

**Anpu42**

Sasori wrote:
This seems a bit... odd to me.

Jesse Eisenberg seems a bit young to play Lex, and Jeremy Irons is too evil to play Alfred.

Maybe it should have been Jeremy playing Lex, But I don't know if we all should see a Bald Scar

**gorgon**

Irons is an awesome choice, IMO. Alfred *should* be a little bit bada$$. We saw hints of that with Caine, but I think Irons will be the closest thing we've seen on-screen to the Alfred Pennyworth in the comics. I give it a definite

I'm excited for that one.

Eisenberg...is interesting. I think we'll need to see more intensity out of him than we usually see, but then I'm also going to give him some credit and assume he's not going to be playing Mark Zuckerberg playing Lex Luthor. He's a good actor and a guy who doesn't need to do this movie...so I suspect we're in store for an interesting and slightly different take on Lex.

Kevin Spacey is a great actor, but he chewed the scenery in Superman Returns like a Tyranid Hive Fleet attacking a lush agri-world. The performance was innately flawed just because the whole movie was some kind of weird decades-later sequel that half-required Spacey to silly it up like Gene Hackman. Had Superman Returns not happened, sure, I'd be on board. Although again I think the point here is that they're going for something different.

**kronk**

Ouze wrote:
It's funny, I was thinking the same thing. That movie kinda sucked but Spacey was pretty solid as Luthor.

That movie sucked all kinds of sour donkey balls.

But Spacey was GRRRReat!

**reds8n**

With regards to the Singer film...

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/12/23/concept-art-for-brainiac-from-bryan-singers-nixed-superman-returns-sequel-plus-bonus-plot-details/

Spoiler:

With regards to this..

I'm much happier with the casting of Luthor than Alfred... strokes for folks I guess.

**Corpsesarefun**

Eisenberg is a bit young but has the right bone structure for Luther if suddenly balded.

Irons is an inspired choice, though Michale Caine is a tough act to follow.

**gorgon**

reds8n wrote:
With regards to the Singer film...

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/12/23/concept-art-for-brainiac-from-bryan-singers-nixed-superman-returns-sequel-plus-bonus-plot-details/[/spoiler]

Yeeeeeeeeah......I'm glad for the reboot. That reminds me of the Burton film that never happened, with Lex and Brainiac merging (Lexiac!) and all that nonsense.

Might have been cool to see Clark forced to snap his own son's neck, though.

He could probably just use his Super-Forgetfulness Kiss on Lois to prevent any emotional trauma there, although she'd probably wonder how she got those darn stretch marks. Anyhoo...

With regards to this..

I'm much happier with the casting of Luthor than Alfred... strokes for folks I guess.

I dunno, somehow I can already see Irons in the role and nailing it. I'm not there yet with Eisenberg, but I don't dislike the pick. I just can't quite envision it yet.

**Medium of Death**

I thought Caine was crap and just phoned it in with the recent Batman films.

Spacey was a good Luthor and I kind of wish we'd seen him return. I think an older Luthor would have been good to go along with an older Wayne.

**gorgon**

Alfred Pennyworth is an extremely capable man, and I think Irons will convey that better than anyone we've seen.

**Anpu42**

We once though about taking his MI6 background and liked the Idea if Jason Statham or Clive Owen though they are a little young.

**kronk**

Scar will make a great Alfred.

**Frazzled**

kronk wrote:
Ouze wrote:
It's funny, I was thinking the same thing. That movie kinda sucked but Spacey was pretty solid as Luthor.

That movie sucked all kinds of sour donkey balls.

But Spacey was GRRRReat!

I'm thinking of Spacey playing the Congressman from House of Cards, but with cool toys...

**daedalus**

Isn't Eisenberg, like, 15 years old?

**d-usa**

How old is Superman in the current movie? Mid-20s?

Lex Luther should be the same age, and I could see a cocky young-adult setting the stage for him.

**Grimskul**

Casting Director: "I said Jesse's friend Heisenberg, not Jesse Eisenberg!"

*sigh* If only that were true, Bryan Cranston would have absolutely kicked ass as Lex Luthor given his performance as a drug lord in Breaking Bad AND already having some experience with DC characters from voicing Commissioner Gordon in Batman: Year One.

Eisenberg just looks too young and I can't help but see him acting neurotic and pansy-like when he's confronted by Superman. He does not come off as one of the world's smartest or business savvy man, being Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network does not mean you become Lex Luthor!

**timetowaste85**

Dammit, Snyder! Just when I think you can't be a bigger dumbass...you prove me wrong. Ugh. Lex is gonna be an abomination. Seriously. The people who said they wouldn't be surprised to see Bieber as Robin...yeah, me neither.

It's not that I dislike J.E. I loved zombieland. But limitations man!

**Kanluwen**

Remember when Heath Ledger did an absolutely abysmal job as The Joker?

I think that Jesse Eisenberg as Luthor can be good. He's got the acting chops for it and since he's not been so heavily defined by one particular role like Cranston has, it's a chance for him to make Luthor his character and to develop the character naturally.

Irons as Alfred is pretty inspired casting.

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

Kanluwen wrote:
Remember when Heath Ledger did an absolutely abysmal job as The Joker?

What if you think he did?

**timetowaste85**

Morathi's Darkest Sin wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:
Remember when Heath Ledger did an absolutely abysmal job as The Joker?

What if you think he did?

If you did, you don't deserve to be a MOD.

Actually, I was in the camp of "let's see what Ulrik Von Lichtenschtein is made of". And he pulled it off with flying colors. Eisenberg? Good actor. But not for the role of the biggest, baldest egotist this side of Krypton. He's all heart, not all megalomaniacal.

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

Heh, I should clarify I haven't liked anything to do with Nolan's vision of Batman.

Health played a great chaotic Villian, but I'll defy anyone that it was Joker in any sense of that character. Jack did a better job with the ham version.

**Kanluwen**

Morathi's Darkest Sin wrote:
Heh, I should clarify I haven't liked anything to do with Nolan's vision of Batman.

Health played a great chaotic Villian, but I'll defy anyone that it was Joker in any sense of that character. Jack did a better job with the ham version.

It fits with the Joker that the comics have been doing.

But that's kind of the problem with an iconic villain like the Joker or Lex Luthor. There have been so many different interpretations in various media that people can have wildly differing views of what the character is.

Same thing goes for heroes though as we saw with the whole "Superman doesn't kill!" thing when Man of Steel came out.

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

To be fair there is a lot of truth in that statement Kan, although as someone following the current DCNU Batman titles I don't really see much of the Nolan Joker meshing with the one that pulled off the Death in the Family Storyline for example.

Although I'm not looking to derail the thread here. I think if nothing else we can agree in the fact not everyone is going to approve with such a long running and varied character every time it appears on screen and I think most of us would be comfortable with that.

edit - oh and on topic, jury is out on the Luthor choice just because he's young and Luthor has traditionally been middle aged, but I think Irons will make a great Alfred, probably better than Caine.

**ProtoClone**

I like Eisenberg, but he is going to be a paper tiger of a Lex Luthor.

It seems like maybe they might be going back to a more Gene Hackman version of Lex?

**hotsauceman1**

Damnit, Why was the rumors of "The Rock" being Lex Luthor True. We know this movie will bomb, atleast it can bomb in style

**Avatar 720**

I was actually okay with Caine as Alfred.

To me Jeremy Irons will always be the wizened old tutor, or the battle-hardened general or king in medieval and fantasy films. It's going to be hard for me to picture him as anything less.