Lex Luthor Role In ‘Batman Vs. Superman’ Could Go To Joaquin Phoenix

Lex Luthor is one of the most sought-after roles in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie, and rumors from Hollywood indicate that Joaquin Phoenix may be the man for the job.

The cast for the Man of Steel sequel has been rounding out quickly in the past few months, with Ben Affleck picked to play Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa likely in another role that has not yet been named.

Now rumors say that Oscar-nominated actor Joaquin Phoenix is high on Warner Bros.’ list to play a still-unnamed role in Batman vs. Superman. That role is believed to be the “main antagonist,” which people following the film’s development believe will be Lex Luthor.

The studio has yet to confirm that Lex Luthor, Superman’s main nemesis, is actually in the film, but there have been plenty of clues. In Man of Steel, viewers caught the LexCorp logo on top of a building and on the side of a few trucks.

There have already been plenty of rumors about who might play Lex Luthor in the Man of Steel sequel. Back in September, unconfirmed reports from Hollywood said that Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston had been picked to play the iconic villain in the next installment of the Superman saga.

Those Lex Luthor rumors were quickly identified as false, and the source of the reports, an outlet called Cosmic Book News, was found the be the source of other unfounded stories in the past.

“A certain fansite routinely posts…well, complete horses*** for hits. Sometimes — as in this case — they expand on an existing rumor, and others it’s incredibly outlandish garbage, plucked from thin air — Matt Damon being in talks for Aquaman etc,” Mark Cassidy at Comic Book News explained in a recent post.

It’s still not been confirmed if the Lex Luthor role in Batman vs. Superman will be going to Joaquin Phoenix, who is said to be weighing the offer against other roles he’s up for, including the Gus Van Sant project Sea of Trees.