Though Rainn Wilson might be most well known for his role as Dwight on The Office, the actor is now branching into a totally different genre with the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery. If he has his way though, he won’t stop there, as he’s now voiced an interest in joining the DCEU. Specifically, he’d love to play an older version of Lex Luthor.
Now, as we all know, the supervillain is already part of the DC Extended Universe and last appeared in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, where he was portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. However, given that his name is Alexander Luthor Jr. in the film, fans have long theorized that we might be seeing his dad at some point, and that’s where Wilson could possibly come in.
Speaking to ComicBook.com in a recent interview to promote Discovery, here’s what the actor had to say when asked if he has any interest in joining Warner Bros.’ burgeoning cinematic universe.
“Maybe if there’s a chance to do Luther. Of course they cast that guy who’s 27 years old to do Lex Luthor. It didn’t make much sense to me. I guess if they wanted to go back to an older Lex Luthor, that would be a fun part.”
While that’s certainly exciting, Wilson may not get his wish, as further on in the chat, he had a few not so nice things to say about DC and in particular, how they’re handling the Big Blue Boy Scout.
“I still think DC has not quite figured out Superman. That’s too bad. I didn’t love the last Superman as much of as other people did, but I think Henry Cavill is pretty great. I haven’t quite figured that out. It doesn’t have the kind of humor and … It’s not the Dark Knight. Superman is not that. It’s got to be something fun with bright colors and outlandish characters.”
Many people may agree with him there, but unfortunately, DC just doesn’t seem to be heading in that direction with the Man of Steel. As for whether Wilson will get a chance to join the franchise, well, like we said above, Alexander Luthor Sr. may still appear in the DCEU, but after the actor’s jabs at how the studio’s handling Supes, we’re not too sure that they’ll be very keen to call him.
That being said, DC could certainly do worse than Rainn Wilson for the part of Lex, as he’s an immensely talented individual and could provide a truly exciting take on the character. We’ll have to wait and see if this pans out, of course, but do let us know in the comments section if you’d be into having the actor hop on board the franchise as the iconic villain at some point.
