Leonardo DiCaprio as Lex Luthor? Sounds like it may have come pretty close to happening!
Though the Killers of the Flower Moon actor has made a point of avoiding comic book/superhero movies over the course of his career, it seems he did consider signing on to play the Man of Steel's nemesis in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before Jesse Eisenberg landed the role.
Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder was a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and during his chat with host Josh Horowitz, he revealed that he spoke to both DiCaprio and Adam Driver (who was previously rumored) about signing on to play the iconic villain in his Man of Steel follow-up.
Snyder says that DiCaprio did seem interested, but ultimately decided that it wasn't for him. However, he did give the filmmaker an idea that he would end up using for Justice League.
“I think DiCaprio had a lot of great ideas, actually, just in the meeting. I think in the end he was kinda like, ‘Eh, I dunno,’ but he was really smart about the material and really smart about the character.”
“I think he was the one that mentioned to me this idea about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point," Snyder continued. "And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,' and I was like, ‘I’m gonna put that [idea] over there, that’s gonna happen.’”
Of course, that is indeed what happened in JL, and many consider the scenes with the resurrected Supes taking on the other team members to be among the best in the movie.
Do you think DiCaprio would have been a good fit for Lex Luthor? Let us know in the comments section, and have a look at the clip and full interview below.
"It's been nearly two years since Superman's (Henry Cavill) colossal battle with Zod (Michael Shannon) devastated the city of Metropolis. The loss of life and collateral damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end his reign on Earth, while the conniving Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) launches his own crusade against the Man of Steel."