Anticipation for Zach Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has not abated of late, as fans of the film’s two featured characters continue to stoke the fires of a communal imagination hoping for the very best from the forthcoming climactic meeting from the two most recognizable superheroes in the DC Extended Universe film canon. It has already been reported that Snyder’s follow-up to his 2013 Superman film Man of Steel  is already expected to clear between $100 and $140 million during its opening weekend, with an even grander R-rated home video cut of the film already in the works.

However, not everyone in Batman V Superman has received quite as much immediate love from potential moviegoers. Jesse Eisenberg, who will take over the role of super-villain Lex Luthor in Snyder’s new film, has been outspoken in the past in regards to the initial backlash to his casting as Luthor, though the actor is still willing to discuss his forthcoming cinematic turn whatever fans of the character might think about the Zombieland star.

During a recent conversation with EW about his upcoming role in the independent film drama Louder Than Bombs, Eisenberg was fairly forthcoming in regards to his personal take on the Lex Luthor character and the big budget world established by Snyder in Batman V Superman. Despite the actor’s decided preference for quiet dramas and more independent feature fare, Eisenberg cited his role in Snyder’s new movie as being one of a character who, “Is just so interesting and full of all the contradictions that you look for when you do an independent movie. So it kind of seemed similar to me.” When asked to expound further on said role, Eisenberg stated:

Such a reading of the role provided in Snyder’s Batman V Superman is certainly a novel and perhaps idiosyncratic take on the popular comic book villain, and should provide for a performance in keeping with Eisenberg’s stated enthusiasm and personal investment. Eisenberg also touched upon Luthor as a particularly interesting example of the public persona adopted by many premiere business executives and CEOs in real life, and commented:

“When I read the script, I thought, this character is rendered so incredibly well that I just have to do what I know I do well, and it will be a great character because the character is full of interesting, contradictory, realistic elements that make a character wonderful. And as an actor, those are the most comfortable and convenient characters to play. The difficult characters to play are the ones where it doesn’t seem like the character has been rendered realistically or with human feelings behind them. That wasn’t the case with this character.”

“He has a kind of charming public persona, and then a deeply private rage. And this is not only interesting as an actor to play, but I would say more realistic to how extroverted people like this, who are kind of leaders of big organizations, probably feel. You have to kind of put on a public front that appears genial and appears accessible, but you’re likely, if you’re very ambitious, harboring feelings of competitiveness, envy, and all these other things we try to avoid in public. So stuff like that was very interesting as an actor to explore. And then kind of coloring in that framework is somebody who’s also very clever and funny and emotional and vengeful.”

As for fans of the actor’s work in the formerly cited 2009 cult-hit comedy Zombieland, Eisenberg was hopeful with regard to the possibility that Zombieland 2 will happen, though he had to admit that, “I know they’ve been trying to do it for a while, and I know they’re trying to figure out exactly what will occur in it…So it’s a thing you have to get right,” which could mean that the film is far from being put in production as of yet. However, the actor did state that, “I would hope that it happens, and I’m sure everybody would be happy to do it if it happens and it’s good,” thus leaving the chances of a sequel finally happening still alive.

With any luck, Eisenberg’s colorful interpretation of the Lex Luthor character will be reflected in the theatrical cut of Batman V Superman. And even if his role in the film serves no further purpose than to pave the way for the DC Comics central antagonist will serve to be seen in a new light (following right after Kevin Spacey’s turn in Superman Returns from 2006), fans can still expect an entirely original take on the well known comic book character.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25th, 2016, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23rd, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17th, 2017; The Flash on March 16th, 2018; Aquaman on July 27th, 2018; Shazam on April 5th, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14th, 2019; Cyborg on April 3rd, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps. on June 19th, 2020.

Source: EW