While the superhero trifecta are taking up all the headlines ahead of the release of Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros.’ hotly-anticipated flick boasts an array of colorful characters and cameos, not least in the form of Jesse Eisenberg’s villainous Lex Luthor. And thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we’ve now been given our first look at the Now You See Me star in character as the megalomaniac Alexander, which you can check out below.
Granted, it’s not one to stop the presses, but it still gives us a stark indication of Eisenberg’s rendition. Throughout the course of his short yet impressive career, the 31-year-old has proven himself as an intense and indeed intelligent screen presence through roles in The Social Network and Richard Ayoade’s excellent drama, The Double. Now, he’s getting his shot at the big time for Dawn of Justice, and Snyder offered up some new details about his role and how he is very much the linchpin between the two titular forces.
“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure,” the director tells EW, “other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course. Our Lex is disarming and he’s not fake. He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind. If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.”
Rounding out the ensemble cast for Snyder’s superhero showdown are Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Jena Malone, Holly Hunter, Tao Okamoto, Ray Fisher and Jason Momoa — on board to play Cyborg and Aquaman, respectively, in minor roles.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is exactly one year away as Zack Snyder’s world building mash-up is set to hit theaters on May 25, 2016. For now, have a gander at this mug shot of Eisenberg as the film’s big bad and let us know your early impressions of his villainous appearance in the comments.
