This is a pretty cool story as James Gunn comments on want he wants from his Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy. As you can see below, Gunn recently appeared on Michael Rosenbaum’s YouTube show, and he knows a thing or two about Lex Luthor. Ergo, though the pair had a great chat about a lot of things, it was this conversation which caught my attention most. I think it also caused a few disgruntled voices online which Gunn had to respond to.
Oh, here's the Inside of You podcast with my old pal @michaelrosenbum (yes I think he was the best Lex Luthor) on YouTube. https://t.co/YCoWkrf6eZ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 14, 2023
Superman: Legacy is a reboot of the DCEU into the DCU. New cast, new story, and that means a new Lex Luthor. Rosenbaum famously played Lex within the Smallville series, and in my mind is the archetype of what I look for in Lex (live-action). I have not been a fan of any other live-action interpretation of Luthor outside of Rosenbaum and it seems Gunn agrees.
Rosenbaum makes Gunn promise that his Lex Luthor wont be goofy, or crazy, and that he will have gravitas. Check it out.
Michael Rosenbaum making James Gunn promise DCU Lex won't be like BvS Lex Luthor lmao pic.twitter.com/gvwkMrH0bP
— Dylan (@The_RCBG) June 13, 2023
I mean, it does seem like Rosenbaum is being particularly critical of Eisenberg’s Lex with that ‘Crazy!’ line. However, he is quite right to do so, that was one of the worst takes on Lex I’ve seen yet. I like Eisenberg, I did not like him as Lex Luthor. Equally, I was not a fan of Gene Hackman, or Spacey.
As you can see from the comments below, Gunn was also not a fan of the Hackman Lex Luthor. That’s not a slight on Hackman, as says Gunn, and I agree with him 100%. Hackman is a great actor and he even had some great little actor moments in those early Superman movies. However, the character he was asked to play was not the version of Lex that was so popular in the comics, not to me anyway.
In reading these replies, sometimes it seems like people are looking for things to get outraged about & have little sense of history. Although Donner’s Superman movies are some of my favorites, I’ve spoken out publicly before, & even written about it in EW back in the early…
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 14, 2023
“In reading these replies, sometimes it seems like people are looking for things to get outraged about & have little sense of history. Although Donner’s Superman movies are some of my favorites, I’ve spoken out publicly before, & even written about it in EW back in the early 2000’s, perhaps unwisely, that Lex Luthor is not my favorite part of those films. The portrayal can lean campy & I wished he seemed like a greater threat & I wished he’d played it bald throughout. I regret having intimated that I didn’t like ANY Lex on Michael’s show, but there it is. For the record I think Hackman is one of the five greatest actors of the 70’s & 80’s, and he starred in some of my favorite movies, I just didn’t love him as Lex.”
RELATED: Trunks Or No Trunks? James Gunn Says Undecided On Superman’s Design For Legacy
Twitter is gonna tweet and you know what that platform is like for keyboard warriors getting outraged. Therefore, of course there are people shocked that somehow Gunn just killed their puppy. However, in reality it is just one dude who has an opinion on the movies of his childhood, just like the rest of us. The only news here is that we can get an idea of the kind of Lex Luthor wants in Superman: Legacy. Now we know what he is not looking for.
Just throwing this out there James, but there is one actor whom you’ve worked with before. For me he is now the perfect age to play Lex Luthor, and he was sitting in front of you. Imagine Rosenbaum getting to do his Lex with a much better script than he ever had at Smallville? I’d be up for that without a shadow of a doubt. Not gonna happen though clearly, or else the pair wouldn’t be as open as they just were on what Gunn likes and dislikes with Lex. Still, if you run out of candidates Gunn, you could always pick up the phone to a friend?
What do you think as James Gunn comments on want he wants from his Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy? Thoughts below, as always.
FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS
Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoG, Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube!
Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play
