Jesse Eisenberg is Luthor, Jeremy Irons is Alfred

[The Dark Knight]

Still, the bitter, self-made nerd-genius could be an interesting new angle for Lew Luthor after Hackman and Spacey's older incarnations.

Hmm, yes. It is very much 'today'. I can get behind the concept.

Irons as Alfred is a good choice.

[phantom stranger]

I was hoping for someone older. Not necessarily Cranston but someone reminiscent of John Shea who, while somewhat hammy, did an excellent job of portraying the modern businessman Lex Luthor.

Still, I can get behind this casting, especially if it's similar to Rosenbaum.

Now if only they'd announce that Caviezel/Brolin/Urban/Whoever was replacing Affleck...

[The Laughing Fish]

I was hoping for someone older. Not necessarily Cranston but someone reminiscent of John Shea who, while somewhat hammy, did an excellent job of portraying the modern businessman Lex Luthor.

Still, I can get behind this casting, especially if it's similar to Rosenbaum.

Now if only they'd announce that Caviezel/Brolin/Urban/Whoever was replacing Affleck...

How about let's wait and see how Affleck does before we judge him (and for that matter, let's do the same for Eisenberg too, despite my initial joke about him earlier)?

After all, his Batman can't be anywhere near as laughable as Bale's was.

[phantom stranger]

Yea,  I didn't want to hijack the thread.

But as the only person in the world who liked Daredevil (and thinks Affleck did a good job in the role--would've wanted to see him in the reboot) I think I've earned the right to take a cheap shot or two. 

[The Dark Knight]

How about let's wait and see how Affleck does before we judge him (and for that matter, let's do the same for Eisenberg too, despite my initial joke about him earlier)?

After all, his Batman can't be anywhere near as laughable as Bale's was.

I'm looking forward to Affleck quite a bit. I think he can be really good, possibly the best after Keaton. After all the moaning and 'will he walk' drama, I want to see him succeed in the role more than ever.

[johnnygobbs]

I was hoping for someone older. Not necessarily Cranston but someone reminiscent of John Shea who, while somewhat hammy, did an excellent job of portraying the modern businessman Lex Luthor.

Still, I can get behind this casting, especially if it's similar to Rosenbaum.

Now if only they'd announce that Caviezel/Brolin/Urban/Whoever was replacing Affleck...

I hope Eisenberg won't be too similar to Rosenbaum.  I'd prefer to see Eisenberg as a self-made genius, akin to his 'Mark Zuckerberg' role, than as the spoiled rich boy version of Luthor Rosenbaum played.

But ideally I'm on the same page as you phantom stranger.  With all dues respect to Hackman's fun and highly memorable performance, John Shea is still probably my favourite onscreen incarnation of Luthor, the suave, charismatic but menacing businessman who could conceivably win over Metropolis and even win the presidency, a plot angle that was never covered in the show but would quite conceivably have worked with Luthor.  Sadly I can't see  Eisenberg covering the 'Luthor for President' angle form the comic-books, particularly at his age.  But imagine, a comic-book movie where the guy in charge of the Free World is Superman's number one nemesis.

[The Laughing Fish]

A mock trailer HAHA! [WARNING: Contains some adult themes]

[BatmAngelus]

I'll give Eisenberg a chance.  Like Affleck, it's a choice that seems to come out of the blue.

One thing I thought I'd point out in the press release:

Chris Terrio is currently writing the script from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns executive producing.

I think Chris Nolan is definitely off the project.  This is not the first press release relating to the movie where his name was absent.

[Silver Nemesis]

But ideally I'm on the same page as you phantom stranger.  With all dues respect to Hackman's fun and highly memorable performance, John Shea is still probably my favourite onscreen incarnation of Luthor, the suave, charismatic but menacing businessman who could conceivably win over Metropolis and even win the presidency, a plot angle that was never covered in the show but would quite conceivably have worked with Luthor.

I've got to agree with gobbs and phantom stranger here. Shea is my favourite Luthor too. His performance as Lex is one of the most underrated and overlooked in the history of comic adaptations. He was suave, charming, funny, intimidating, seductive and psychotic in equal measure. In some adaptations Lex and Superman have appeared unevenly matched, but in Shea's case I could believe he was a worthy adversary for the Man of Steel. Their ongoing stalemate felt totally believable to me, as did the idea that this guy could fool almost everyone into thinking he was a benevolent philanthropist - even to the point where he could get Lois Lane to fall in love with him. He was one of the best examples of the 'magnificent bastard' trope, and I actually felt slightly sorry for him whenever he lost.

I would have liked to have seen something along those lines in the new movie. That being said, I've got nothing against Eisenberg. Technically Luthor is meant to be 6'2 and 210 lbs, which is the same height and weight as Batman. But artists have portrayed him in a variety of different ways over the years. Sometimes he's an overweight middle-aged man, other times he's an athletic youngster. Sometimes he's tall, sometimes he's short. There's a lot of leeway when it comes to the actor's physical appearance. I'm assuming Snyder and Goyer have a specific take in mind, and that Eisenberg fits the profile. So fingers crossed he does a good job.

And of course Irons is a solid choice for Alfred. No complaints there. Like BatmAngelus, I'm hoping he'll sport the thin moustache.

Lol!

[The Dark Knight]

I didn't like the movie that much,  but Kevin Spacey is my favourite on-screen Lex. He was an emotionless bastard. Nothing surprised him, nothing fazed him, he was in control and that was it.  This portrayal hinted at a more philosophical Lex when he gives his Prometheus speech about wanting to steal the fire of the gods and give it back to humanity, which I liked.