Jesse Eisenberg is keen to reprise Lex Luthor: 'I would love to play that role forever'

Jesse Eisenberg has expressed a desire to return as DC Comics supervillain Lex Luthor saying he wants “to play that role forever”.

The 36-year-old actor played Superman’s iconic adversary in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and appeared briefly in 2017’s Justice League, but says he has no clue as to what the plan is for the character’s future in the DC films.

Asked by Dubai-based outlet The National whether he’d like to reprise the role, Eisenberg said: “Oh yeah, are you kidding? I would love it. That’s the coolest role to play. I don’t even know if they know what they’re doing with the movies, but for me it was exhilarating. I would love to play that role forever. I have no knowledge about what they’re doing with it.”

Read more: Amy Adams casts doubt on DC return

Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor was a tech genius billionaire who orchestrated the rivalry between Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman in Zack Snyder’s 2016 superhero smackdown. He ended that film incarcerated in prison, but he was revealed to have escaped from Arkham Asylum in a Justice League post-credit scene that saw him recruiting Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke for his own villain team.

The DC movies have yet to return to that storyline so far, with Ben Affleck (and possibly Henry Cavill too) leaving the franchise while the studio explores standalone movies like Joker, Birds of Prey, and Shazam.

On the appeal of playing the character previously portrayed on screen by Gene Hackman (opposite Christopher Reeve) and Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns), Eisenberg explained: “The character is open to any interpretation. It’s not a prescribed, acceptable role that the audience feels they have to like or see themselves in, so that’s the kind of freeing role that actors like.

“Will they let me do it again? I have no idea. But that’s the kind of thing I love.”

Another role he admits he’s keen to reprise is that of Mark Zuckerberg. He played the Facebook founder in David Fincher’s The Social Network, written by Aaron Sorkin who recently teased the possibility of a sequel.

“Aaron is such a great writer, obviously, and so if he wrote something it would be great,” responded Eisenberg.

The release of Eisenberg’s latest film Vivarium has been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The sci-fi thriller was due to land in cinemas on Friday, 27 March, but instead it will be coming straight to VOD and will be available on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Sky Store, Virgin, Google Play, Rakuten, BT, Playstation, Microsoft, Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player. Watch a trailer below.