Jon Cryer
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Jon Cryer, who won two Prime Time Emmys for his role as Alan Harper on CBS’ long-running sitcom ‘Two and a Half Men’, has been tapped to portray Lex Luthor on ‘Supergirl’.  Cryer’s Luthor will first appear in episode 15 of the current fourth season.  That episode should air in early 2019.  Cryer has been in demand as a TV actor since the end of ‘Two and a Half Men’ in 2015.  Since then, has appeared on ‘NCIS’, ‘Will & Grace’ and the Youtube series ‘Ryan Hanson Solves Crimes On Television’, in which he played himself.

This is a bit of inside casting, as Cryer previously appeared on the big screen as Lenny Luthor, Lex’s nephew, in the box office clunker ‘Superman IV: The Quest For Peace’ in 1987.  Gene Hackman reprised his role as Lex Luthor from previous ‘Superman’ movies.  More recently, Cryer has voiced DC supervillain Felix Faust on ‘Justice League Action’.  He also lends his voice to ‘Robot Chicken’ on occasion.

In a joint statement, ‘Supergirl’ executive producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller declared:

“We are enormous fans of Jon Cryer, and he was instantly our dream actor to play the iconic role of Lex Luthor.  Jon is a super-talent, and the fact that he played Lenny Luthor in Superman IV brings an added layer of legacy to his casting. We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Jon to the Supergirl family.”

 

“We’re beyond excited to introduce iconic villain Lex Luthor to Supergirl and to weave him into our story this season.  We’ve talked about having Lex on the show since its inception, and we’re excited to have him finally arrive. We can’t wait for him to shake things up in National City and watch him go toe to toe with not only Supergirl, but his sister, Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath).”

This may not be a one-and-done role for Cryer, as The CW is considering launching a ‘Superman’ series, which would star Tyler Hoechlin, who appears as the Man of Steel periodically on ‘Supergirl’.  Presumably, if that show happens, Luthor will play a major role.  While Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch‘s Lois Lane will appear during the ‘Elseworlds’ crossover in December, Luthor won’t debut until later.

What do you think of Cryer portraying Luthor?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter