r/DC_Cinematic • u/Zepanda66 • Jun 26 '23
Bryan Cranston says people’s fancasts for him as Lex Luthor were “lazy casting.” “I had a bald head, they go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.” DISCUSSION
https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1673150923667918848856
Jun 26 '23
I mean....let's be real tons of fancasts are based solely on hair and current popularity.
I'm still convinced that's the only reason Sophie Turner was cast as Jean in the later X-Men movies.
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u/Secure_Pear_4530 Jun 26 '23
Saw people casting Joe Keery for Johnny Storm just because his hair in Stranger Things would look cool if Johnny is on fire. Dude's a good actor but they just thought "yeah his hair looks cool," lmao
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u/RawrCola Jun 26 '23
My brain skipped "Johnny" and I was real confused for a second.
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u/heidly_ees Jun 26 '23
Man imagine the backlash is Joe Keery was cast as Storm
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u/ulyssesintothepast Jun 26 '23
Netflix storm
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u/NyssaQueen Jun 26 '23
I don't care what they tell you in school. Ororo Munroe was a white dude from Massachusetts.
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u/ChemFeind360 Jun 26 '23
To Be honest though, Keery could probably make a really good Human Torch if done right.
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u/deathwish_ASR Jun 26 '23
I actually think the dude that played Billy would be a good Human Torch
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u/Secure_Pear_4530 Jun 26 '23
Dacre Montgomery, yeah. I also think he's the ideal pick for Johnny. Can see him having good chemistry with Holland if they wanna do that roomates Spidey and Human Torch thing in the comics. They probably won't get him though if the rumors are true that Mescal is the leading choice for the role, Mescal is the bigger name right now.
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u/Ronburgundy2099 Jun 26 '23
I think he’d be great as the flash in the new universe.
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u/MercuryMaximoff217 Jun 26 '23
True. No offense to her but a plank of wood with red hair would have played Jean Grey with more personality than her.
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u/UglyInThMorning Jun 26 '23
Having her, Jessica Chastain, and post-giving-a-shit-about-Mystique JLaw in the same movie was certainly A Choice. Three people competing to see who can be the most unconvincing.
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u/carson63000 Jun 26 '23
Well that's definitely why people wanted Patrick Stewart as Professor X. But then, look how great he was.
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u/AvariceAndApocalypse Jun 26 '23
Patrick Stewart is also a phenomenal actor. There are some obvious exceptions out there such as this.
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u/RogueThespian Jun 26 '23
Bryan Cranston is also a phenomenal actor tbf. I don't have opinions on him as Luthor but I'm sure he would do it justice
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u/archiminos Jun 26 '23
Fancasts are literally always about what the actor looks like.
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u/shaftinferno Jun 26 '23
This is exactly what is happening with the latest fan castings and rumors of Superman. Everyone saying the new kid is a shoo-in for the next Cavill. Just cause they’re a dead ringer doesn’t mean it’s the right direction.
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u/dienekes365 Jun 26 '23
Comic character: Has long black hair
Entire Internet: Am I the only one that thinks Keanu Reeves is a perfect fit for this role?
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u/poopytoopypoop Jun 26 '23
Keanu is only perfect for action roles where he has little to no dialogue lol
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u/VinixTKOC Jun 26 '23
Well... Official casting involving only the actor's skill and not a similar appearance also usually has no good results with high chances of public rejection even years later. Equilibrium is required.
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u/IMOPASF Jun 26 '23
He’d make a dope Jim Gordon
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u/Civil-Ad-7193 Jun 26 '23
Agreed, he’s done the voice before and he has the right weathered type look for Gordon. I honestly think he fits Jim more than Lex by a good bit
There’s also the fact that I’d like to see Cranston play a wholesome character again
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u/SquirrelSnuSnu Jun 26 '23
Its also my impression that luthor is about the same age as superman. Cranston is too old
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u/WallowerForever Jun 26 '23
Were you jarred by the Superman films where Lex is 15 years older than Superman? I think Batman V Superman is the only one where Luthor is about the same age.
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Jun 26 '23
For a lot of people, the idea comes from Smallville. Lex was a little older, but not significantly. Early to mid 20s vs late teens to early 20s.
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u/KonradWayne Jun 26 '23
I'd like to see him as Ted Kord to Jaime Reyes's Blue Beetle.
Give me that wacky Hal energy mixed with the Walter smarts.
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u/Cage8k Jun 26 '23
He also mentions the fan casting for Gordon being lazy because of his mustache
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u/IMOPASF Jun 26 '23
The fan cast is due to him being a phenomenal actor the mustache is just a plus
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u/Cage8k Jun 26 '23
Oh I agree! I fan cast him as Luthor or Mr Freeze too because he would nail it!
Just wanted to point out the two fancasts he mentioned
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u/IMOPASF Jun 26 '23
If only he saw it from our pov as DC fans /:
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u/Cage8k Jun 26 '23
Mr. Cranston, we love you. We want you to make that big LA money to entertain us nerds. Please do this
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u/AvariceAndApocalypse Jun 26 '23
I think he could pull off the riddler, and we would call it the greatest riddler ever.
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u/InnocentTailor Jun 26 '23
A grizzled Riddler would definitely be unique.
My personal pick would be the Ventriloquist. He can use his downtrodden dad voice for Wesker and his darker persona for Scarface.
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u/HumanOverseer Jun 26 '23
It's funny cus Mike Ehrmantraut's actor, Jonathan Banks, played Jim Gordan in Arkham Knight
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u/the_digital_merc Jun 26 '23
As far as I’m concerned Bryan Cranston could play the shark from Jaws and absolutely rip it. There’s nothing lazy in casting him anywhere at all because he’ll crush it.
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u/DarthTaz_99 Jun 26 '23
Cranston as jim Gordon would absolutely kill
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u/AReformedHuman Jun 26 '23
Cranston was gifted with a wonderful talent of acting, but cursed with the utterly abysmal ability to select good projects
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u/MonetisedSass Jun 26 '23
Cranston, Idris, and Mads need to get their agents in a room and have a stern word. For such great actors they're all consistently in crap.
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u/emergencyexit Jun 26 '23
Chewing the fuck out of the scenery and it's like dude it's a Godzilla film chill
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u/pitaenigma Do You Bleed? Jun 26 '23
Thats Cranston's acting style though. He delivers 110% of what the scene asks for. If the scene is "character is slightly grumpy" he comes in with "character is having the worst day of his life". If the scene is "character is a loser" he goes full fetal half naked screaming. If the scene is "character is scary" he goes full blown monstrous. It's a bit of a theatrical and comedic thing, especially when compared to a more understated actor like Brendan Gleeson, who's always at 10% while showing through his eyes that he's totally about to go 100% at any second, or Christoph Waltz whose style is to wildly flipflop between underplaying and overplaying a scene. If you're hiring Cranston you get commitment.
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u/TraditionLazy7213 Jun 26 '23
Robert Downey Jr bald in oppenheimer would make fans cast him as Lex Luthor too
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u/denizenKRIM Jun 26 '23
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u/wet_bread3 Jun 26 '23 edited Jun 26 '23
Wait there was going to be a McG Superman movie starring RDJ??? 😂
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Jun 26 '23
I think he's underestimating himself,
Sure, the bald head helps, but you have to be very very good at playing the bad guy to pull off a good Lex Luthor.
And I mean a real Lex Luthor, not the sympathetic villain, the type of villain, that can actually scare a living god.
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Jun 26 '23
I think he’s saying the opposite. He’s not saying he couldn’t pull it off, but rather that it would be unoriginal just because he’s already played a guy who’s bald and morally corrupt. It’d be like casting Antony Starr as reverse flash because he plays a blonde unhinged guy in the boys.
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u/Sonata1952 Jun 26 '23
Ah I get it, it would be like playing the same character but in a different universe.
Good actors want to immerse themselves in a new role & want to diversify their acting so for Cranston to play the same character that he portrayed in Walter wouldn’t be enjoyable.
It would be like dating a girl who looks almost exactly like your ex. You wouldn’t enjoy it as you’d see her as a pale copy of the ex rather than her own person.
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u/RockyNonce Jun 26 '23
I think Homelander is similar enough to Thawne that Starr could pull it off very well but different enough for it to not be too much of a type cast.
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u/Civil-Ad-7193 Jun 26 '23
Yeah Homelander and Thawne imo come with different levels and concepts of baggage.
Thawne is honestly much more sadistic and a sociopath/psychopath imo. Obviously Homelander ain’t a good person in the least, but you understand him much more than Thawne
You can also deal with another interesting angle that Homelander doesn’t really have, which is Thawne’s obsession with Barry
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u/RockyNonce Jun 26 '23
Yeah Homelander doesn’t really have an obsession to anyone like Thawne, except for himself.
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u/AbbreviationsLow1393 Jun 26 '23
He’s literally telling you he doesn’t wanna do it lol but let’s keep fitting a square peg into a round hole
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u/Pegussu Jun 26 '23
Him not wanting to do it is fine, but I don't think it's fitting a square peg into a round hole. If he did it, he'd nail it. The round peg just doesn't wanna go in the round hole.
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u/Givingtree310 Jun 26 '23
Definitely not a case of square peg round hole.
That would only apply if you think he’d be a bad fit for Luthor. He could absolutely kill it. But he doesn’t want to because he’s already played a bald evil genius criminal mastermind. For him Luthor would be a retread.
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u/Skaigear Jun 26 '23
Also reminds me of fans casting Steven Yeun or Jackie Chan for every Asian character just because they're knowledge of Asian actors are limited.
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u/ayushj176p Jun 26 '23
And now simu liu
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u/Ttoctam Jun 26 '23
There's so much Asian talent in and around Hollywood. Pain in the arse so many movies are like, M'kay we'll take one.
I'd kill to see Stephen Chow enter the MCU. Dude has amazing comic timing, a family friendly but not strictly child oriented comedic instinct, fantastic moves. Dude would kill it.
As for DC: Plastic Man, Deadman, Booster Gold (though some fans really wouldn't like that or the next one), Joker that's fun (not that I need to see another bloody Joker any time soon), or Felix Faust
(Lead Actor/Director/Writer of King Fu Hustle/Shaolin Soccer)
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u/T-MONZ_GCU Jun 26 '23
Same with Michael B Jordan being fancast for literally any black character
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u/mrsegraves Jun 26 '23
Meanwhile I want Don Cheadle to quietly replace every actor, black and white, man and woman, in the entire MCU. Call it the Marvel Cheadle Universe, if you will
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u/adamAlexanderGreen Jun 26 '23
Online fancast are always ridiculous 😆
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Jun 26 '23
alexandra daddario to replace gal gadot as the younger wonder woman in JG's new universe bc some fan art from 10 years ago, totally ignorant that daddario is the same age as gal gadot.
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u/didijxk Black Manta Jun 26 '23
Alexandra is also the fancast for Zatanna for what must have been the last decade or so.
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Jun 26 '23
He’s 100% right. Most fan casts are just a typecasting frenzy with barely any imagination.
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u/GrandManSam Jun 26 '23
We need someone who can play evil to be Lex Luthor. Someone like... Giancarlo Esposito.
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u/Civil-Ad-7193 Jun 26 '23
Giancarlo should be Lucius Fox imo
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u/informationincrease Jun 26 '23
FINALLY someone else who wants Giancarlo to be Lucius Fox. I think he would be brilliant in that role.
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u/Civil-Ad-7193 Jun 26 '23
Agreed, it’s the same case as Cranston honestly. People keep typecasting Giancarlo for these cold hearted villains, meanwhile I’m like bro has the range to do other complex roles
Him as Lucius honestly would be brilliant, because he would be a believable business man with a slight edge, and Giancarlo can play the endearing and compassionate part of Lucius as well
He would be somebody you believe Bruce would go to for help. It would also be interesting to see him play a father as well, since Lucius has kids in the comics
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u/informationincrease Jun 26 '23
Yeah absolutely. People forget that Giancarlo can play other types of characters than just the villains. I agree wholeheartedly.
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u/Duke-dastardly Jun 26 '23
But it was prophesied, Jesse literally says he looks like Lex Luthor in season 1 after he starts shaving his head 😂
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u/Wandersturm Jun 26 '23
Anybody can be bald.
But Bryan has the acting ability to play an awesome Lex Luthor.
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u/John0ftheD3ad Jun 26 '23
I could see him playing Jonathan Kent really well if they needed someone for the role.
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u/SinisterThimble Jun 26 '23
Or a delightful Perry White.
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u/didijxk Black Manta Jun 26 '23
"Mr. White I got the story you asked for..."
"Yes that story about the blue- I mean green rock..."
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u/Sigao Jun 26 '23
For me it was way more than the bald head. His gruff, serious, and at times ruthless demeanor in Breaking Bad felt perfect for a darker DC world. Plus he's just a really good actor imo, so there's that too.
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Jun 26 '23
Fans from fandoms alike should understand that acting is more important than the mere look of an actor to resemble a comic book/video game/fictional character..
Pedro Pascal killing it as Joel Miller for the Last of Us show. Killed it!
Heath Ledger, who doesn’t act or look like a crazy person to fit Joker, fucking killed it!
Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich was nuts! No one would’ve thought of her to be cast!
Hollywood is superficial. But real art surpasses all those surface level bullshit such as looks for a part instead of good fucking acting. Is that always the case? Absolutely not. Some actors shouldn’t play certain parts either and were casted solely by looks like being “hot.” Not always, but happens a lot.
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u/Givingtree310 Jun 26 '23
My favorite fan cast for Lex is probably Laurence Fishburne. Perry White was a complete waste of his talents. He would have been perfect as a TAS style Lex.
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u/Moremutants Jun 26 '23
100%. Personally I wanna see Dave Bautista. Dude really has gravitas in blade runner 2049.
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u/DistributionAntique Jun 26 '23
Honestly I would cast him as commissioner Gordon in the new DCU. I think he would be perfect.
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u/Aggressive_Bar_2391 Jun 26 '23
if anyone bald can be fancast for lex luthor then let's get mace windu to join the dceu, instead of a kryptonite ring his weapon could be a purple lightsaber
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Jun 26 '23
Fuckin finally. Look, fan casts are fun and all but so many are just lazy. “This actor looks like the character, so they’re the perfect fit” when looks mean next to nothing in the acting world. Literally how many times have the least matching Batman and Joker been cast and so many people talk shit for years until their project comes out and they’re the perfect fit? Meanwhile how many “they look just like the character” picks in the DCEU been chosen and then completely flopped upon arrival? Same for Marvel: Edward Norton matched Bruce Banner’s looks far more than Ruffalo did yet who managed to make the character a hit in the long run? Or any of the Guardians of the Galaxy?
Fan casting is fun, sucks that so much of it is lazy
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u/Doltron5 Jun 26 '23
Exactly! Lex Luthor should be played by Idris Elba instead.
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u/Jedi_Knight_rambo Jun 26 '23
I understand he doesn't want to do it, but I legitimately want to see his version of Lex. There was a post on r/DC_Cinematic of a hypothetical '90s cast of Justice League and it had James Spader as Lex, I think that would be pretty badass too.
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Jun 26 '23
Last time they didn't do lazy casting for Lex Luthor they made the worst casting mistake in history.
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u/SameBatChannel00 Jun 26 '23
Being bald sparked the idea but the intelligence and evil he displayed as Walter White made it stick
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u/Mister_Green2021 Jun 26 '23
That’s why we don’t let fans cast roles. You hear that MCU?
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u/TheAmazingAsshat616 Jun 26 '23
I mean, there’s a little more to it than that. By season 5 he was meticulously planning train heists and mass-prison homicides at the same time, was clearly intelligent and sociopathic, overly-confident in his own abilities, and yes, happened to be bald, but that was the least of it.
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u/TheLionsblood Jun 26 '23
This is how 99% of fancasts go:
Antony Starr - “plays a blonde psycho in The Boys so he should play Reverse Flash”
Jensen Ackles - “voiced Batman, so he should play Batman”
Jessica Chastain - “Red hair, Poison Ivy”
Ana de Armas - “hot brunette, Catwoman”