While the casting news for a Superman/Batman film is hardly going to fly under the radar the latest reports have the potential to send the geek community into a ravenous frenzy. The jury is well and truly out on Ben Affleck as the new Batman with people split between petitioning online to get Warner Bros to drop him and considering that he actually did a pretty good job acting in ARGO as well as directing it so things might just go smoothly after all. Suffice to say, this writer sides with the latter.

However, a superhero movie is nothing without a good villain and a recent story from Cosmic Book News backs up earlier rumours (which we previously reported here and here) that none other than Emmy award winning BRYAN CRANSTON is attached to a deal that will see him play iconic Superman foe Lex Luthor in at least six ‘appearances’. In terms of fantasy casting, this appears to be the jackpot as far as villains are concerned. Cranston has taken the small screen by storm playing the cold and calculating Walter White in AMC’s show BREAKING BAD where he, to be polite to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, does an array of despicable things while balancing an uneasy humanity to his actions.

Just the resume for someone to play Lex Luthor who, in more sympathetic interpretations of the character (especially in Brian Azzarello’s LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL) attacks Superman not because Luthor wants to take over the world, but rather is questioning society’s trust of a superhuman power. Needless to say, he wouldn’t stand for the destruction seen at the end of MAN OF STEEL.

In terms of the six ‘appearances’, these will likely be in the same vein as Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury, who played various sized roles across the Marvel films, tying the characters together before AVENGERS ASSEMBLE. Could Lex Luthor be the man to pull together the Justice League? Only time will tell.

The untitled MAN OF STEEL sequel will open July 17th 2015.

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