Warner Bros. has announced that Jesse Eisenberg will play Superman’s arch nemesis, Lex Luthor, in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. The announcement negates the previous rumors that Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston had been cast as Luthor.
Esienberg had a breakout role in the 2009 movie Zombieland, and is best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 film The Social Network. Also joining Eisenberg in the untitled Batman/Superman crossover will be Jeremy Irons (The Lion King; Die Hard: With a Vengeance), as Bruce Wayne/Batman’s faithful butler Alfred.
Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman and Ben Affleck will portray Batman in the sequel, due out in 2015.
