Man of Steel 2 begins filming

[Earth 2 Chris]

Well...that's....odd. I get Irons right off the bat. Distinguished older British actor...check!

Eisenberg...not so much. I did want to throat punch him in Social Network, so he can pull off the "villain you love to hate bit" I guess. And he has good range, because he was very likable in "Zombieland". It does send a signal that we are not likely to see the campy Hackman Lex, or hammy Spacey Luthor this time. Cold, maladjusted and methodical are probably going to be more this Lex's thing. Maybe a bit like Rosenbaum. I know Hector's groaning, but in hindsight, he was probably THE best thing about Smallville, overall.

Chris

[Hector]

Maybe a bit like Rosenbaum. I know Hector's groaning, but in hindsight, he was probably THE best thing about Smallville, overall.

I hate Smallville (as you know)...but of the few episodes I did manage to somehow watch (the other option was to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge)...Rosenbaum was a solid Luthor...agreed.

[Mego Milk]

Perfect!
This movie will be HUGE!
Its already a media frenzy!

Can't wait!

[palitoy]

I know Irons is mainly known for villains but I kind of dig the idea of him as Alfred.

[Random Axe]

Irons is inspired, slap of the forehead casting that totally makes sense. Perfect.

Now, of all the following characteristics of what we know Luthor to possess, which of the these can Eisenberg also convey on film?

Imposing
Charismatic
Intimidating
Physically fit
Smug
Genius
Evil
Arrogant
Unwaveringly confident

He might be able to check the box of two of the above. This might be one of those castings that are perfect for their script, so we'll see. Eisenberg has some talent no doubt, but is he the dominant Superman villain who built an empire of techonoligal superiority and unlimited resources? I'm not so sure...

[Earth 2 Chris]

I keep thinking "Heath Ledger". Complete out of left field casting that worked. I don't think you should take these leaps with the heroes. Michael Keaton made it work, but few can. Lex has often been tubby (late Golden Age, early Silver Age, Byrne era), and Rosenbaum was thin. This isn't the Purple-jumpsuit wearing Lex, for sure, but we've yet to see him in live-action anyway. The closest was probably Sherman Howard on Superboy. He could have probably pulled that look off.

Chris

[Hector]

Michael Keaton was decent as Bruce Wayne...hated him a "puny" Batman.

[Hector]

Irons is inspired, slap of the forehead casting that totally makes sense. Perfect.

Now, of all the following characteristics of what we know Luthor to possess, which of the these can Eisenberg also convey on film?

Imposing
Charismatic
Intimidating
Physically fit
Smug
Genius
Evil
Arrogant
Unwaveringly confident

He might be able to check the box of two of the above. This might be one of those castings that are perfect for their script, so we'll see. Eisenberg has some talent no doubt, but is he the dominant Superman villain who built an empire of techonoligal superiority and unlimited resources? I'm not so sure...

Eisenberg definitely fits the characteristics displayed in bold italics.

He could even fit the physically fit category. Didn't you see him outrun those Olympic running Zombies in Zombieland?

Even the intimidating category...I've had nerd bosses before...and they struck more fear in me than the toughest-looking jocks, lol.

The ONLY one he doesn't fit is the imposing part...as Eisenberg is of slight-built frame...but don't let looks fool you...

[The Bat]

I think it's brilliant casting...Jesse Eisenberg might seemed unconventional as Lex Luthor at first...but check him out in the Social Network...the guy was great...in a methodical and brilliant performance as Mark Zuckerberg...awesome casting.

I also like Jeremy Irons as Alfred.

I'm with you Hector....TOTALLY AGREE!!

[The Bat]

P.S. I'm probably in the minority here...but I LOVE Ben Affleck being cast as BATMAN!

[The Toyroom]

I thought HEISENberg was in the running for Luthor, not EISENberg...

[Hector]

....

[Hector]

I'm with you Hector....TOTALLY AGREE!!

As I said before, while I'm not in love with the idea of Affleck as Bats, he might turn out great, and make me eat my own words, lol.

[hedrap]

This project is becoming the anti-Marvel. Affleck has way more say now than either Nolan or Goyer, and that's not a good thing.

The smart thing Marvel does is while the movies don't resonate like Nolan's, they fulfill the promise. They're entertaining because they're cast well and they're cast well because they hold to the characters. Consider all the Asgardians in Thor; they're very solid choices. Everything since Iron Man has really been on target. That's one of the reasons the Mandarin swerve was so off-putting; Kingsley was a good choice to play the actual character.

Now consider World's Finest and how every role falls into the "Well, I guess we'll see..." territory. It's similar to Ledger in that you don't know until you see the interpretation, but that comes down to how much you trust the people involved. I trusted Nolan because of Batman Begins. I don't trust Snyder or Affleck.

Just look at Snyder's Zod; Shannon was good, but Terence Stamp still owns that role thirty years later. IMO, same fate for Eisenberg. He'll provide an interesting take, but it's going to suffer from heavy comparison to Rosenbaum's, and Eisenberg can't win that fight because Rosenbaum was able to flesh Lex out over hours of episodes. Eisenberg is going to be lucky to get thirty minutes of screentime.

[sprytel]

The real question is... how much does Eisenberg know about real estate?