Most people can name the actors who have played Lex Luthor in live action movies; Gene Hackman (in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies), Kevin Spacey (in Superman Returns) and Jesse Eisenberg (in the upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice). However, you probably didn't know who the first choices were to play the character. In the Reeve movies, Dustin Hoffman turned down the offer of playing Luthor (having previously been considered to play the titular heroic role, incidentally), while Kevin Spacey was the first and only choice to play Luthor in Superman Returns. In the upcoming DC live action depiction, Jesse Eisenberg wasn't approached until Adam Driver and Joaquin Phoenix - with the former unable to take the role due to scheduling conflicts and the latter outright turning it down after some consideration.
