Now that we know who will play Lex Luthor in Batman V s. Superman -- it’s Jesse Eisenberg! -- some details on how director Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. came to cast the Social Network actor are surfacing.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter , the filmmakers did consider going with a “veteran” to play Superman’s arch nemesis, which is to say an older guy. Tom Hanks, all 57-years of him, was discussed internally as a possible Lex, though he reportedly was never approached. Neither was the fan favorite pick of Bryan Cranston (it’s unclear whether or not the studio even considered the Breaking Bad actor for the role).On the Millennials front, Girls’ Adam Driver is said to have been approached for the part, but had a conflict -- which also seems to rule out those rumors about his joining in on the fun as Batman’s ex-sidekick Nightwing . And Joaquin Phoenix reportedly passed on the film.According to the trade, Snyder and Warners “aren't casting a wide net with plenty of auditions to fill roles but are targeting actors from a narrow shortlist of those they want.” The secrecy around the project is of course very high, so much so that the studio won’t even confirm whether or not Eisenberg will be bald for the part. (A hundred bucks says he has hair at the start of the film and loses it by the end.)Perhaps most interesting about all of this is the fact that Snyder and his writers didn’t have a firm grasp on their main villain’s generation, let alone age, prior to the casting process. Shouldn’t that at least be indicated in the script?

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