James Gunn understands that everything he says regarding DC Movies and his opinions on them, both past and present, lives under a microscope. Often, he’ll respond to fans (and critics) on social media elaborating on his points, or pushing back against a false narrative that tends to form. And one such bruhaha has arisen over Gunn’s feelings about Lex Luthor… timely because the writer-director is hard at work on a new Superman movie, due in theaters in 2025.
James Gunn was a guest on Michael Rosenbaum’s YouTube show Inside of You, and opened up about the possible interpretation of Superman’s chief nemesis, Lex Luthor. It makes sense because Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor on Smallville, and still gets praise from DC fans for his portrayal – even when he’s trolling other Luthors, like Jon Cryer. During the conversation, Rosenbaum requested that his old, dear friend Gunn portray a grounded version of Lex Luthor, knowing that some past actors have gone over the top in their takes.
And almost on cue, Zack Snyder’s fans translated this as a slam on Jesse Eisenberg, who took on the role of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Because really, anytime anyone says anything about DC, it has to be related to the SnyderVerse, and whether you are paying proper homage to it. Gunn immediately Tweeted that he “wasn’t referring to Jesse” with his comments. But that wasn’t enough. So, the new HEAD OF DC had to go on Twitter and share the following:
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…June 14, 2023
And do you know what? He’s absolutely correct. Gene Hackman is a living legend. He was masterful in more movies than I can count on both hands. But his Lex Luthor from the original Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve were, indeed, campy. Hackman took the assignment of playing a villain in a comic book movie and played to the back of the room, as people say. It was beautifully counterbalanced by Reeve’s in control and commanding Superman. This is a huge reason why his Superman movies rank high on our list of the all-time greatest Superman films.
But now James Gunn has the chance to give him own stamp on the character. And I’d expect it to be very different from what was done by Gene Jackman, or Jesse Eisenberg, or Kevin Spacey, or Jon Cryer, and ALL the actors who lent their voice to animation over the years. Lex can, and should, be translated in multiple ways, to fit the Man of Steel in a specific project. Just don’t jump to the conclusion that Gunn is talking about Zack Snyder. Because in this case, he was critiquing Hackman’s hammy performance. And in my opinion, he was correct.
We still have a long way to go before Superman: Legacy reaches theaters. Gunn hasn’t even found his CLark Kent yet, even though casting is rumored to be winding down. If we had to guess, I’d say an announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in July lines up. But until then, keep following CinemaBlend for the latest DC updates.
