Leonardo DiCaprio Was Almost Zack Snyder's Lex Luthor

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 19, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 19, 2024 |

Lex Luthor has changed a lot over the years. He was introduced in the comics as more of a mad scientist. Gene Hackman’s take on the character in the 1978 Superman saw him as a “criminal mastermind.” The 80s saw him solidify his persona as a businessman who was up to no good. This change was reflected in shows like The Adventures of Lois & Clark and Smallville. Luthor would even become President in the comics. He has changed with the times.

2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brought the character to film for the first time since Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. In the 80’s, Luthor resembled that of a Wall Street tycoon. In BvS, the character was brought into the 2010s and was less Gordon Gekko and more Mark Zuckerberg. Director Zack Snyder even cast Zuckerberg actor Jesse Eisenberg in the role. To say people didn’t like this iteration would be an understatement.

Personally, I love BvS. Public reception writ large was not as accepting. People did not like the characterization. They wanted the more “traditional,” savvy businessman the character had been primarily presented as. They wanted someone older. Bryan Cranston’s name was bandied about often as a fan-favorite casting choice. Snyder went in a different direction but almost went somewhere down the middle.

In a recent discussion with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder revealed he discussed the role with Leonardo DiCaprio. While it appears they never had more than one meeting, Snyder implied that it was Leo’s role to turn down. “I think, in the end, he was like, ‘eh, I don’t know.’ But he was really smart about the material and really smart about the character,” Snyder said to Horowitz. He added that DiCaprio, “had a lot of great ideas, actually, just in the meeting … I think he was the one that mentioned to me this idea about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point.”

After Leo turned it down, Snyder spoke with Adam Driver about the role. That didn’t work out either, as Driver went on to play a different franchise villain. Still, both choices are an intriguing “what if.” Would the role have been less Social Media Mogul and more Mad Businessman? We’ll never know, but it would have been different, that’s for sure.