Despite the fact that a script hasn’t been written for the upcoming “Batman vs. Superman” movie and that Warner Brothers is denying any casting rumors, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning with speculation on who will play both Batman and Lex Luthor, the latter of whom hasn’t even been confirmed. Last week, the buzz was that two actors were in the running for the role of Luthor, Superman’s archenemy, whose depiction in the comics has ranged from manipulative businessman to mad scientist to armor-clad super villain. The two names at the top of everyone’s list were Marc Strong, who previously portrayed Sinestro in ‘Green Lantern’, and ‘Breaking Bad’ star, the two-time Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston.
Opinion seems pretty evenly split between the two. Cranston has certainly proven his acting chops on his hit AMC show as well as in films like ‘Argo.’ Meanwhile, Strong, though less known in the US, is no slouch in the acting department either. I’d say his role in the dud that was ‘Green Lantern’ was the film’s highpoint.
While most in Hollywood are maintaining their silence, Cranston actually opened up to Metro, playfully responding, “Give me a call!”
Seemingly still joking, he mused “I like Lex Luthor. I think he’s misunderstood. He’s a loveable, sweet man.” Well, depending on which origin is current in the comics, at least in one incarnation, Lex was an altruistic aspiring scientist who lost his hair due to the well-meaning, but misguided actions of Superboy, sending him down the path of evil. (But obviously in the movie universe, this version of Superman was never Superboy.)
But as for playing another nice guy gone bad with a bald head, Cranston may have his own kryptonite: his wife! “She wasn’t so keen on the bald head,” Cranston admits. “The bald head ages a man. It’s just that she didn’t know me that way, and the last six years it’s all of a sudden like sleeping with a stranger — who was less exciting than her own husband. So I don’t blame her for being upset.”
So is the next step for drug lord Heisenberg to step up to even greater malice, joining the likes of Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey and Michael Rosenbaum? Or are you Team Strong? Or even Team Someone Else? Leave a comment below!
