Bryan Cranston Confirms He Was Never In Contention For Lex Luthor In BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN – But He Would’ve Loved A Shot At It

Before Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor in 2016’s Batman vs. Superman, Bryan Cranston was heavily rumored to land the role. However, it turns out he was never even approached. Appearing on The Howard Stern Show (via MLive), the Breaking Bad star confirmed that, while he would have loved to play Luthor, the role was never offered to him. “In the minds of fans, it’s true. In the minds of the hierarchy of Warner Brothers, it’s not true.” He adds, “I was not involved in any of that whatsoever.” 

Cranston then reaffirms that taking on the iconic role would have interested him, even admitting that it would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity (aka “a 20”). “Oh, oh, I would have welcomed it. That would’ve been a 20; I think so!” While it would’ve been great to see Cranston as Luthor, perhaps he could now play Jim Gordon – another comic book role he’s a fan favorite for – in the next Batman film series. 

Batman vs. Superman (not the final title) is scheduled to hit theaters May 6th, 2016. The follow-up to Man of Steel, the next installment in the DC Cinematic Universe stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne. Zack Snyder directs from a script by David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio.