Over at the DCEU, the futures of a number of their characters are unclear, especially concerning the cast surrounding Superman-- as the reported exit of Henry Cavill was released earlier this week. Besides Cavill's Superman, this potentially includes Amy Adam's Lois Lane and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor as Man of Steel 2 no longer seems to be in development. For Smallville alum Michael Rosenbaum, who portrayed a younger Lex Luthor for seven seasons, when this news broke it got him wishing of another DCEU exit, tweeting this out:
I wish Eisenberg was done at Warner Brothers. Give me my job back. ;)
Looks like someone's ready to swoop in and play the bald and rich Superman villain. Jesse Eisenberg took over the role in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the fast-talking billionaire. With Superman's inclusion in the DCEU unclear, it's also unknown if Lex Luthor will still have a role future films such as Justice League 2. When previously asked, The Social Network star said he loved playing the character, and would come back for another one. But he also wasn't sure if it was even a possibility, as the film didn't particularly impress audiences as a whole.
For Smallville fans, the idea of Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor returning would be a dream. The actor delved deeper into the villain than the character's ever been given a chance, as the CW television series adapted the relationship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor as a complicated teenaged friendship that led to the two becoming legendary enemies. The series was the beginning of a now expanded DC superhero universe on the small screen, as The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl are among the characters with a home on the network. Another Smallville alum, Erica Durance, who played Lois Lane joined the new universe last year by taking on Supergirl's mom, Alura.
Since playing Lex Luthor on the CW, Michael Rosenbaum hasn't taken on any other high-profile roles, though he had a small role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He is currently busy as host of his podcast Inside of You where he has recent guests such as Zachary Levi from the upcoming Shazam!, Stephen Amell from CW's Arrow and Topher Grace. The podcast has these celebrities opening up about their flaws and insecurities.
Whether or not Michael Rosenbaum was joking about his willingness to get to shaving his head again and relive his glory days as Lex Luthor, he arguably delivered the best performance as Superman's nemesis and Warner Bros. shouldn't overlook bringing him back on to reprise the role in some capacity.
