About a week ago, Warner Brothers stunned fans by announcing their casting of Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth and, even moreso, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.  The casting of the next DC movie has been riddled with controversy and this certainly fanned those flames.  Luthor has been typically been depicted as an older, conservative character (having been portrayed previously on the big screen by Gene Hackman, 48 at the time, and Kevin Spacey, 46) with mad scientist overtones and corporate success.  Casting such a youthful actor may seem to fly in the face of that, but according to sources, while this is an alternate take on the character, many aspects of the character remain faithful.

According to a source, Eisenberg’s Luthor will retain his scientific and business smarts, but will also have grown up on the streets.  At 14, he joined a street gang, but by the time he was 15 he was running the gang.  By the time he was 18, he’s made his first billion and by the time we catch up to him in the movie, he’s the richest man on the planet.  But don’t expect the stuffiness of previous depictions or the awkward genius Eisenberg brought to the role of Mark Zuckerberg.  This Luthor has a fascination with body art and has a detailed tattoo sleeve on one arm depicting the Metropolis skyline.

The rest of this may be considered SPOILERS, but keep in mind, this is just rumors at this point.

Allegedly, the upcoming sequel to ‘Man of Steel’ will open after the destruction of Metropolis in the first film.  This devastation has upset Luthor and he considers Superman a trespasser who doesn’t belong on his planet, much less his city.

In walks Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who is in town to help with the recovery effort.  Luthor secretly thinks Wayne is an entitled brat, who inherited his status, whereas he himself worked from being homeless to achieve all that he has.

On the flip side, Wayne is in town altruistically only hoping to help where he can, leading to his teaming with Luthor.  Luthor on the other hand, sees the opportunity to profit.

Luthor wants Superman eliminated, but Wayne finds him fascinating and only wants to learn more about him in an effort to prevent another catastrophe like the destruction of Metropolis.

So what do you think?  Keep in mind this is just a rumor at this point, but does this dynamic between Luthor and Bruce Wayne intrigue you?  What do you think of a street smart Lex Luthor?  Comment below!

Source: Latino Review