14 DAY TRIAL // Fans were shocked to hear that Jesse Eisenberg had been cast as one of the most recognizable and dangerous villains in the comic book universe, Lex Luthor, in Zack Snyder’s “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” because Eisenberg is precisely the opposite of dangerous-looking.
As it turns out, Eisenberg and the Lex Luthor we know differ in yet another regard: Eisenberg’s take on the character will include a healthy head of hair, which, to boot, will be long and blonde, kind of like “a long straight surfer mop,” ComicBook.com reports, citing on-set sources.
Coming to confirm older reports that audiences will be introduced to a new Luthor in “Dawn of Justice,” insiders reveal that Eisenberg will be portraying a tech-savvy billionaire with a taste for evil and the desire to destroy superheroes.
“[He’s] a slimy businessman we can all despise. You are going to hate this guy. You are going to root for him to be punched by Supes when he weasels his way out of legal trouble. He is cocky and confident because he is THAT good at what he does. He's a billionaire who knows he is more powerful than the Senator and Congressman visiting because he's a billionaire,” says the spy.
As for LexCorp, Luthor’s company, the same tipster describes it as, “this is a high tech mega billion company with a shiny veneer. It's Apple/Google, colorful and consumer friendly public image but serious potential for Lex's deviousness.”
Another character fans must know from the comics that will appear is that of Mercy Graves, Luthor’s driver and personal assistant, who is often described as beautiful, smart, and very apt in combat. The role is being played by Tao Okamoto, whom you probably recognize from “The Wolverine” with Hugh Jackman.
Photos of Eisenberg in character are yet to leak online, but worry not, leak they will and, when they do, they will offer you the chance to see if this blonde Luthor is the kind of villain you imagined ever seeing in a Batman film.
Meanwhile, Ben Affleck, another controversial casting choice for “Dawn of Justice,” is training hard to put on muscle mass for the role of the Caped Crusader. He’s already bulked up considerably but Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, is much more muscular and, considering these two will go up against each other, it’s clear that Affleck still has to put many hours in at the gym until he makes a convincing rival for Superman.
“Dawn of Justice” is believed to be the precursor of “Justice League,” which will also be directed by Snyder and has been scheduled for release in 2017. In other words, it’s not a sequel for the first Superman film, “Man of Steel.”
It also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman (rumored, for the time being), Jeremy Irons, and Amy Adams. It arrives in theaters in May 2016, precisely on the same day as rival Marvel’s “Captain America 3.”