Two Skarsgård brothers on the shortlist for ‘Superman: Legacy’

As fans wait to see which actor will be the next Clark Kent in Superman: Legacy, reports about who else might be joining the cast are popping up left and right. Superman has a massive supporting cast, after all, and there’s definitely no shortage of actors lining up to play one of his iconic supporting characters and/or villains.

While running a story on the ongoing Superman casting situation, which is reportedly down to Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, and David Corenswet, The Hollywood Reporter mentioned an interesting tidbit of information: both Bill and Alexander Skarsgård are in the running for Lex Luthor. Apparently, once James Gunn has cast his Superman and Lois Lane for Superman: Legacy, he intends to fill the role of Lex Luthor relatively quickly, and though it isn’t clear who else is on the shortlist, it’s clear that Gunn has his eyes set on two of the Skarsgård brothers.

Either brother would absolutely kill the role. Admittedly, Bill is a bit of a dark horse candidate, and Alexander is a bit more in tune with modern depictions of Lex Luthor, but both brothers can act. What’s more, the possibilities both could bring to the role of Lex Luthor are endless. There’s no doubt that both brothers would turn in wildly different performances that still manage to plumb the depths of the villain.

There are pros and cons for the selection of both, as well. Alexander is currently 46, while Bill is 32 – the former would probably be better in a film with a slightly older Superman, while the latter would probably be better in a film exploring Superman’s early days. Of course, Lex Luthor’s age isn’t necessarily reflective of Clark’s, but most adaptations usually make the two of them the same age, or at least have Lex be older than Clark.

Until we know who will be Clark Kent, it’s a bit hard to say which actor could win out. Lex is supposed to be a dark foil to Superman – while he has everything, Lex is still just a man who hates that there exists someone above him. Lex is an iconic character for a reason, but much of his popularity rests on how well he complements Superman as a character. As arguably his most important villain, Lex has to have the right actor – it’s as imperative as casting the right Joker opposite Batman. The right casting will most assuredly come after Superman has been cast.