CAST THIS: Lex Luthor

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The big news of the week is that Warners has finally cast the Man of Steel for their SUPERMAN reboot in the form of brit Henry Cavill. The general consensus is that he looks the part, and that people complaining about him being British should stop whining. Or have I just decided that?

In any case, now that we have our lead, we need his foil. Though he hasn’t been announced as the villain for the film, I think it’s a safe bet to assume that this man will show up somehow, even if he’s not the arch-bad guy, as the film may want to distance itself from SUPERMAN RETURNS. So who will be LEX LUTHOR?

A number of fantastic actors have played Lex over the years, the most notable being Gene Hackman in the Reeves-era, and more recently Kevin Spacey in the new film. Hate Smallville all you want, but I thought one of the better casting decisions in that show was Michael Rosenbaum as a young Lex.

But clearly we’re going to need to start from scratch, and find an entirely new actor for the part. Luthor is brilliant, devious and must look good hairless. I can think of a whole host of actors who could be right for the part, but I want to hear who YOU guy think is the ideal candidate?

If Superman is young, does that mean Lex should be his age as well? Cavill is 27, so I’m assuming Lex shouldn’t be the older tyrant we’ve come to know from the comics and last few films.

Last Time: ROLAND THE GUNSLINGER

Last Cast This we were focused on finding the lead for the DARK TOWER film/miniseries helmed by Ron Howard based on Stephen King’s epic book series. There’s been a lot of names thrown out since that column went up, but who did you guys select?

1. Viggo Mortensen (19%) 2. Timothy Olyphant (15%) 3. Guy Pearce (9%)

Last week Christian Bale and Javier Bardem were mentioned as contenders for the Roland part, with an actual offer going out to Bardem. You guys didn’t even mention those guys, and I have to say I agree with you.

Ever since THE ROAD, I thought Viggo was perfect for this part, and I think he’s the only one who could fully do it justice. I like Olyphant as an actor, but not for this role. Guy Pearce is criminally underused, and I think he’d have a clear enough schedule to commit to something like this, though I don’t know if it’s in his nature as an actor to have a part this prominent.

Bale is attached to too many franchises already to jump to this one, and nothing about Bardem says Roland to me after I’ve gotten to know the character through seven books. I really hope they do look elsewhere.