Recasting Every Major Role In The DCEU
7. Dwayne Johnson As Lex Luthor
What Happened?
Jesse Eisenberg, that's what. The Internet didn't know what to make of The Social Network star being cast as a younger, millennial version of Superman's famed arch-nemesis, and when Batman v Superman finally hit cinemas, audiences were wildly divided by Eisenberg's twitchy goofball rendition.
Eisenberg is nevertheless keen to reprise the role and briefly re-appeared as a more comic-faithful Lex Luthor in Justice League's post-credits scene, but it's fair to say that Warner Bros. may well view Eisenberg's version of the antagonist as a poisoned well at this point. They're probably going to cut their losses.
The Recast
There are two avenues the studio could go here - stick to the young hotshot version of Luthor and cast a much-respected actor (like, say, Domhnall Gleeson), or more likely, revert back to the tried-and-tested middle-aged, suited-and-booted equivalent.
Mark Strong would've been a great choice but he's already been snapped up for Shazam!, so we're going to take a hard swing here with...Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
But hear us out before you ready the pitchforks, because this could really work.
There is no denying that Johnson's granite-carved build and endlessly charismatic persona would make him a Lex Luthor like no other, but consider a few other things.
For starters, he looks amazing in a suit, he's already rocking the bald look as good as anyone ever has, and his ridiculous physicality would make him an interesting foil for Superman.
Obviously on paper Luthor wouldn't be a physical match for Superman, but it wouldn't be tough to write a Luthor driven to sculpt himself into a form of "perfection" (or even a God), only to see the Man of Steel as an affront to this goal. It's certainly more intriguing a motivation than the Eisenberg Luthor's wishy-washy daddy issues.
Above all else, Johnson is an industrious businessman in real life with boundless charm, which makes him a pretty damn snug fit for the role.
Given how rarely Johnson plays antagonists these days, it'd be great to see him sinking his teeth into a bad guy as meaty, complex and iconic as Luthor.