When the Spider-Man universe flirted with the idea of a villainous team named the Sinister Six, the movie drew on enemies introduced in the movies. (Electro, the Green Goblin and the Rhino were the core examples.) With DC eyeing a similar Suicide Squad film, you would think it would follow suit… only, General Zod’s "unavailable" (read: dead) and there haven’t been any other major villains in this DC cinematic universe. Except one. And he might increase his role in a major way.
Jesse Eisenberg is about to introduce the classic villain Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Lex’s presence was hinted at in Man of Steel, but the character is stepping into the foreground for the battle between the Dark Knight and the Blue Boy Scout. But Deadline now reports that Eisenberg is "in discussions" with Warner Bros. to continue then role in the Suicide Squad that the studio is trying to mount (for a 2016 release date). The site reiterates that Warner Bros. would like Will Smith, Tom Hardy and, maybe, Margot Robbie for key roles in the Suicide Squad movie. But Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor would emerge as the leader of the villainous group.
This raises SO MANY questions. For example, shouldn’t Warner be having these conversations with cast members for a movie that they want in theaters the same year as Batman v Superman -- a movie that has been filming for months already? Fury director David Ayer isn’t being given that much prep time to release a Suicide Squad movie if the studio is still negotiating with cast members. What if Eisenberg says no? Will the rewrite the script so thast Lex Luthor no longer is the leader of this team? Will they recast Lex Luthor? That’s silly, and won’t happen, so this either has to be a done deal – or a game changer.
Also, what does this mean for the events of Batman v Superman? With the Suicide Squad scheduled to hit after the March 2016 release date of Dawn of Justice, this likely means that the direction of Luthor’s character will be mapped out in the end of Snyder’s movie. Maybe Lex is put away in a high-profile detention center, where he meets his eventual Suicide Squad teammates? Tom Hardy and Will Smith in a Dawn of Justice post-credits sequence would be insane.
The problem might be Eisenberg’s schedule. As the trade site notes, he is up for roles in Now You See Me 2 and a possible Zombieland 2, which has been gaining steam. He also was up for Todd Phillips’ Arms and the Dudes, though this news might delay most of these projects. Such is the deal with signing up for a multi-film superhero universe. When the studio needs you, you kind of have to be ready.
