Leonardo DiCaprio Could Have Been Lex Luthor In Superman

Director Zack Snyder, known for his work on the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU), revealed in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he had discussions with Leonardo DiCaprio about portraying the iconic villain Lex Luthor. Snyder disclosed that DiCaprio, who is on the record as having a rule against starring in superhero movies, engaged in thoughtful conversations about the role but ultimately opted to not pursue it.

"Leonardo DiCaprio, I talked to him about it," Snyder said. "I think DiCaprio, he had a lot of great ideas actually just in the meeting. I think in the end he was like 'I don't know,' but he was really smart about the material and really smart about the character."

In 2022, Timothée Chalamet relayed to British Vogue that DiCaprio imparted some crucial advice for career longevity: "No hard drugs and no superhero movies." But, as Snyder explains in this interview, DiCaprio had given Snyder's film some serious thought, even proposing ideas. "I think he was the one that mentioned to me this idea about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point," Snyder said. "And I was like 'That sounds cool.'"

The role instead went to Jesse Eisenberg, and Lex Luthor is set to return to the big screen in DC co-chairman James Gunn's Superman reboot, with Nicholas Hoult taking on the role. Filming began in March, and there won't be a trailer until 2025. The movie is set to come to theaters in July 2025.

Snyder debuts his latest film, Rebel Moon--Part Two: The Scargiver, on Friday, April 19.