During all the mayhem surrounding Ben Affleck as the newest choice to play Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” sequel, another casting choice was getting locked in place—Bryan Cranston as DC’s most intellectual villain, Lex Luthor.
Cosmic Booknews reports that Cranston is signed to make at least six appearances in future Superman/Batman films (some of them likely cameos). This would make him the third casting choice alongside Henry Cavil (Superman) and Affleck. Neither DC Comics nor Snyder have made the casting choice official, but it’s hard to imagine another actor playing Luthor so well.
The Great Heisenberg
Anyone who watches “Breaking Bad” on AMC knows what Cranston can do on screen. His talent behind Walter White has won him several Emmy Awards and skyrocketed Cranston to one of America’s favorite actors. Heisenberg, Walter White’s meth-cooking alter ego, is dark, cunning and manipulative, just like Lex Luthor.
The Right Look
With all respects to Kevin Spacey, some people just don’t look good bald, but Bryan Cranston is the king of shiny domes. He’s rocked the bald look on “Breaking Bad” for several seasons now and it just looks, well, natural. It fits. Fans wouldn’t have to adjust to a new look like they did with Spacey, and that will have a big impact.
The Burden of Villainy
Here’s the thing about Batman—he’s not that interesting. Bruce Wayne is very interesting, and anyone with a good head of hair can play his character just fine (George Clooney was a perfectly acceptable Bruce Wayne). Batman is a creature of few words, so the burden falls on the villains to bring out the best of the bat. Guys like Liam Neeson, Heath Ledger and Tom Hardy carried Christian Bale throughout the entire “Dark Knight” trilogy.
Cranston could carry this whole franchise on his back if needed. If you haven’t seen him on “Breaking Bad,” you can grab AMC through a retailer like GetDirectTV.org or catch the first four and half seasons on Netflix. One glimpse of the great Heisenberg and it will all make sense.
