Bryan Cranston Calls Lex Luthor Fan Casting “Lazy”

With casting James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy heating up — Tuesday saw the announcement that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane respectively — fan speculation as to who should play certain roles in the eagerly anticipated live-action film is at an all-time high. This is especially true when it comes to discussions of who should play iconic Superman villain Lex Luthor. One name that has come up frequently among fans when it comes to the adversary is Bryan Cranston, but the Breaking Bad star thinks it’s just “lazy” to fancast him in the role.

During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via The Direct), Horowitz asked Cranston if he felt like it was laziness on the part of fan casting when they look at his mustache or his bald head from his days playing Heisenberg on Breaking Bad that leads to him frequently being fancast as Lex Luthor and Cranston — who has voiced Jim Gordon in 2011’s animated Batman: Year One, agreed.

“I did Jim Gordon in the animated Batman thing. And that was fun. I think it was — I think you’re right. I think it was like, lazy casting. There should be a, like, ‘lazycasting.com.’ And I was like ‘what is it?’ Because I had a bald head, the go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.”

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan Have Been Cast in Superman: Legacy

On Tuesday, it was announced that Corenswet and Brosnahan had been cast as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane respectively. It had previously been reported that screen tests for the roles had taken place on Saturday, June 17th, and Sunday June 18th. Gunn confirmed the casting news on social media, taking to Twitter to comment on the matter.

“Accurate!” he write, sharing a link to the news about the casting. “(They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people.)”

A Recent Report Suggests Shortlist for Lex Luthor Casting

On Monday, a report by The Hollywood Reporter indicated that a casting decision for Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane were imminent, but more than that some news about a shortlist for other roles — notably that of iconic villain Lex Luthor — had emerged. Per the report, once decisions on who will play Clark Kent and Lois Lane are made, Gunn will start the next wave of casting. Among those being considered for Lex Luthor are Alexander and Bill Skarsgard. Hoult has previously been reported to have initially wanted to play Luthor before trying to go for Superman and it’s not clear if he would put himself in the running for the Lex Luthor role should he not be chosen for Superman. The report also noted that the film will also be casting other heroes, including members of The Authority.

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Superman: Legacy is set to debut exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025.