With Seth Rogen set to play the Green Hornet, Jay Baruchel might become the next member of Judd Apatow’s crew to put down the comic books and start being in them. Baruchel, who was the main character on Undeclared and among the motley crew of stoner roommates in Knocked Up, might be joining the ever-fluctuating cast of Justice League of America… as a villain.
Yup, the skinny kid with a mohawk who accidentally saw the baby crowning could be playing Lex Luthor, The Joker, or any number of the villains who populate the Justice League world. Moviehole speculates that he’ll take on Max Lord, a former cyborg and founder of the Justice League who turned bad and used his mind control powers to mess with Superman, among others. So, you know, not exactly Mr. Freeze level of butch villainy, but still a stretch for a guy who has pretty much spent his whole career up to this point playing overgrown adolescents.
The Justice League movie seems like such an unholy mess right now, with a rotating door of cast members and even uncertainties about its title (is it called Justice League of America or American Heroes? No one knows!) I’m iffy about getting enthusiastic about anything for this movie, but it’s a promising sign that they’re doing unconventional, potentially great casting. Who would have thought of Christian Bale as a great Batman, or Topher Grace as villainous Venom? It’s usually the oddest casting in superhero movies that, when pulled off the right way, are the most interesting. So if this movie is not a flaming mess from the get-go, Jay Baruchel might have what it takes to pull it off. And if he doesn’t, well, Judd Apatow will probably still cast him.
