Man of Steel hit the big screen this summer with a bang and divided audiences down the middle on whether or not the movie captured the heart and spirit of the character of Superman or not. While the time has come and gone for a debate on that topic, the one thing that got little to no criticism was the casting choices of the movie. Henry Cavill managed to capture the essence of a lost Clark Kent trying to find his way while managing to be charming and appealing to the eyes of women everywhere quite well. While Amy Adams wasn't fully fleshed out as Lois Lane, no one believes she was miscast in the role of Lois Lane. Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe stole the show as Superman's pop-pops along with Diane Lane's amazing portrayal of Ma Kent. The Kryptonians Zod and Faora played by Michael Shannon and Antje Traue were also good, but they lacked the gravitas that were the draws of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies because the penman (David Goyer) didn't make them engaging enough.
The Man of Steel cast was solid, arguably the best cast of the year and was truly one of the brighter spots in the blockbuster.While Man of Steel did build a sizable audience, the continuation of casting well has to continue if Man of Steel 2 is to build on the moderate success of its predecessor. Man of Steel 2 is a very important movie to both WB/DC and Superman, the much anticipated sequel should see the introduction of three very important characters to the Superman mythos in Batman(already confirmed and cast as Ben Affleck to the dismay of fanboys everywhere for some reason), Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor. Believe it or not, Ben Affleck being Batman doesn't effect the movie. When asked who was the best Batman ever, half the population will say Mr. Mom (Michael Keaton).
Rebecca Buller was Jenny Jarwich, not Jenny Olsen.
The last thing I want to hear is that Affleck isn't intimidating enough to play Batman. What matters most in this Superman sequel is who will play the role of Kal-El's arch-nemesis, the bald baddie Alexander Luthor. To me the answer is simple, WB must do all it can to secure the services of Jon Hamm if they are to bring the modern era of Lex Luthor to life and here are the 5 reasons Jon Hamm should be cast as Lex Luthor.
Eat it, fan boys, this guy is your favorite Batman.
1.) Jon Hamm can play an arrogant rich man who fools people into thinking he's something he's not by using his charm and charisma.
Menacing, isn't he?
Anyone who's a fan of the hit TV show Mad Men can tell you that Donald Draper is a shallow, arrogant, dishonest, disloyal, egomaniacal scumbag who made his way to the top by lying, cheating and stealing while hiding behind his natural charm and intelligence. Anyone who knows the modern depiction of Lex Luthor will tell you that that is Lex Luthor, Lex is a self-made man who built his empire from the ground up without the help of anyone. Lex is almost the anti-thesis of, not only Superman, but Batman as well. Superman inherited his powers by landing on Earth, he didn't work for his might and he didn't struggle to acquire it.
Jon Hamm as Donald Draper.
I know what you're all thinking; "But CavEl, Batman worked hard to acquire his martial arts and strength." True, Batman did work on honing his fighting ability, but he inherited the fortune to be able to find and train with the best martial art teachers in the world. He also inherited his intelligence from his dad(Thomas Wayne was one of the smartest men in Gotham and intelligence, to some extent, is hereditary), his fortune to buy his gadgets from his parents and so on. Not Lex, Lex grew up poor (Smallville Lex isn't canon) and built his empire by himself similar to the dysfunctional upbringing of Donald Draper. When Jon Hamm wraps up his 7th and final season of Mad Men this year, he would've wrapped up his 7 year audition tape for the role of Lex Luthor. He already has an understanding for the character of Lex from Donald Draper and he's proven that he can flesh out the character on an award winning level.
2.) Jon Hamm has the look.
People always say to play Batman, you have to look good in a suit. That's true, but to play Lex Luthor as well, the character has to look good in a suit and Jon Hamm is class personified in suits.
That's the most important prerequisite for playing Lex. I know, I know, "Jon Hamm ain't even bald", but guess what?! We have a new invention called a razor and hair clippers! Even if Jon needs his hair due reshoots for Mad Men, Lex doesn't need to be balled in his origin movie. He can shave his head to symbolize when he's finally snapped and passed his breaking point.
3.) Jon Hamm can hold his own with Oscar Award winners without being overshadowed.
As I mentioned earlier, Jon Hamm has been winning awards for Mad Men since he first became Don Draper. We know Hamm can act, his 8 Emmy nominations speak to that, he can hold his own against Ben Affleck while being able to charm and woo aduiences along with Henry Cavill. Jon Hamm is never dull or uncharismatic when he needs to be powerful and commanding. While his movie listing isn't nearly as impressive as his TV resume, the man is primed to be a star. He only needs that break, Lex can be his break.
4.) Jon Hamm, along with Ben Affleck, would bring a level of respectability to make up for Snyder's short coming as a director and Goyer's lack of imagination as a writer.
Face DC fan-boys, Snyder is a style over substance director. I thought he could change with Nolan's guidance, but he didn't. That's not to say I blame him for my lack of love--I do like Man of Steel, but I wanted to love it--when it comes to Man of Steel.
Man of Steel's script was also lacking in the quality I wanted from the nascent DC Cinematic Universe and proved that the genius behind the 2005 revival of Batman in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, was all thanks to Christopher Nolan. The witty dialogue, the tight and flawless scripts (sans TDKR which was written by Jon Nolan), the thought provoking themes were all thanks to Christopher Nolan alone, not his younger brother or David Goyer.
WB has already tried to right this lack of substance by bringing in their new golden boy(Affleck) to take on the "Godfather" role made vacant by the departure of Chris Nolan--their reigning golden boy. Affleck is said to have looked over the script, added his input and made inquires into what Snyder wants from Batman which can only be good news for DC fans. Affleck is a well respected actor in Hollywood after turning his career around by taking on the director seat in movies he stars in and his Academy Award winning creativity can only add to the lack of substance Snyder and Goyer brought in Man of Steel. Jon Hamm is also a well respected actor, though not a critic favorite like Affleck, his presence will add to the credibility that the critically panned Man of Steel lacked.
5.) the other fan favorites don't work!
Yes, I've heard all the weak suggestions for Lex already and they're all weak. The fan favorites are the fan favorites only because fans have seen them bald.
- Bruce Willis (bald): Bruce Willis has "acted" in a long while, Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis now in every movie. He doesn't give a damn, and while Bruce Willis is awesome, Bruce Willis playing Bruce Willis isn't close to being what Lex Luthor should act like.
- Mark Strong (bald): I like Mark Strong, I think DC/WB would be foolish not to bring him back as Sinestro in JL or a GL reboot. They guy was the only good thing about that POS movie, he was so good that WB market him over Ryan Reynolds in the promos and people mostly turned out for him, but does he have to play the villain in EVERY SINGLE CBM? If he's cast as Lex, it would make his third villainous role. Leave him as Sinestro.
- Bryan Cranston(bald on Breaking Bad): I love Bryan Cranston. I've been a fan of Breaking Bad since season 2, long before the show became the popular show it is this second half of the final season, but he's not Lex Luthor! Cranston is too old, period. It doesn't make sense for Lex, a man who prides himself on being the pinnacle of human accomplishment, to be some old guy way past his prime. Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne were business rivals with LexCorp holding the edge over Wayne Enterprises until Luthor's downfall. Lex and Bruce/Clark have to be in the same age range. Bad enough we have an older Batman, but a senior citizen Lex is crossing the line an artistic liberty.
- Billy Zane (bald): Probably the worst, no, DEFINITELY the worst fan cast. Billy Zane is a joke. I don't mean to be rude to him, but it's true. Zane is a C-lister in Hollywood. He hasn't acted in an A-List movie since Titatnic. Have you ever noticed how Di Caprio and Winslet are still smashing out critical hits while Zane is no where to be found? That's because he blows. He hasn't stopped acting either, open his IMDB page and pick any movie featuring Zane and prepared to be amazed. Not in a good way, bro. Sorry, but you guys need to be scared straight from your Zane-y casting choices. If looks were all that played a part in casting, Triple H would've been Thor along with a slew of other terrible acting wrestlers dominating the comic book movie realm.
First of all, people, enough of the exclusively bald men fan casts. Anybody serious about getting this job will shave his head if offered. Second of all, Laurence Fishburne is playing Perry White. I love Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of Perry White and never had a problem with him being up for the role, but Perry isn't black. Amy Adams' Lois Lane, though Lois was a red in the Byrne era, is a red head and the GA knows Lois to be a black haired vixen. These guys aren't casting to fit the look of the comics, which is good, they're going for the best man.
6.) Jon Hamm already has a working relationship with Zachary Snyder and Ben Affleck.
Jon Hamm has working relationship/rapport with both Snyder and Affleck from their work in Sucker Punch and The Town. Obviously Affleck's team-up was the more critical and financially successful of the two, but Jon Hamm does express that he loved working with Snyder and he was contacted to be Superman in Man of Steel only for him to decide against that and hand the reigns over to a younger actor that was later announced to be Henry Cavill.
In The Town, Hamm stole the show from Affleck in Affleck's own movie. Of course, Jeremy Renner, fresh off his Oscar winning role in The Hurt Locker stole the show from Hamm, but Renner was on fire back then. The two men worked well off and with each other and brought to life the dynamic of a cop vs. thief that resulted in one of the best movies of that year.
While I wouldn't argue with the people who call for Mathew mcconaughey, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo Di Caprio or even Matt Damon(too obvious) to take on the mantle of the greatest mind in the DC universe, I still believe that Jon Hamm is the best man for the job.