Risky Business: The Casting and Boldness of Superman VS Batman

The Internet quickly broke in half yesterday, when Warner Bros. had issued a press release stating that Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, The Social Network) was announced as the latest member of the cast of Superman VS Batman, as Superman's arch nemesis, Lex Luthor. They also had announced that Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers, Die Hard With A Vengeance) would be playing Batman's butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth. While the caliber of actor that Irons presents makes him a suitable candidate for Alfred, but everyone has no idea what to make of the decision of Jessie Eisenberg as Superman's human rival and one of the most evil minds of the DC Universe.  

 

With this in place, its very easy to see that Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. are up to something very different than what they've been doing for the past few years. They were certainly very successful  with their latest rendition of Superman in Man of Steel, but now with this sequel gathering plenty of actors, that counteract what most fans would want, I certainly wonder how things will pan out.

Comic book fans are certainly quick to rally against something that doesn't represent the aspects that they know and love about their favorite comics and superheroes. People are fascinated by Lex Luthor's intellect and his hatred towards Superman. What makes Luthor so compelling is that he's bothered at the fact that Superman represents all of the great aspects of humanity, without even being an actual human. Luthor feels threatened by Superman's mere presence and has made it his life goal to destroy Superman, by his means of wealth and sheer brain power.

 

  As a representation of the modern business entrepreneur, Jessie Eisenberg seems like an ideal choice and I don't say that because he played Mark Zuckerburg. The face of many current successful businesses and tech start-ups are young men and women, that have changed the face of industries all over the world. This could be the very reason that Snyder and Warner Brothers have chosen such a young actor for the role. Another thing that's great about this casting and the previously announced Ben Affleck as Batman, which people went apeshit over, is that maybe they're making an effort to thoroughly distinguish themselves apart from Marvel Studios. This far, Marvel's made it a point to craft films that represent fan favorite comic book arcs and intertwine them into a cohesive cinematic universe. DC's motive, at least from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and Snyder's Man of Steel, is to redefine these great comic book characters and make them relevant for modern society. Both Superman and Batman where characters were created in the late 1930's and have since become icons in our modern American society.     DC and Warner Bros. can't even compete with Marvel Studios, but if they can redefine their characters for a new audience and present something that we've never seen before with Superman VS Batman, then I'm all for it. Snyder's Man of Steel finally gave us a Superman story that tapped into some of the mythos that really makes Superman, the hero that he truly is and can be. If they can mange to integrate that same feeling into this next film, or even that Justice League movie they keep trying to get off the ground, then maybe DC will be able to hold their own after all.