Bryan Cranston recently deemed fans “lazy” for wanting to see him play Lex Luthor in a live-action Superman movie.
During an appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the actor — who is best known for his starring roles in Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad — was asked by host Josh Horowitz if the countless Lex Luthor fan casts ever led to a conversation with Warner Bros. and DC to play the beloved Man of Steel villain.
“Not that I know of,” said Cranston. “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, they go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.”
Check out the conversation between Horowitz and Cranston below:
Cranston being fan-cast as Lex Luthor first began while playing Walter White on the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, which aired from 2008 to 2013. The character sported a bald head for most of the show’s run. When coupled with Walter White’s criminal ways, fans were quick to draw comparisons between the character and Superman’s archnemesis. Breaking Bad also ended the same year Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel, hit theaters, which noticeably lacked Lex Luthor. Despite fans campaigning for the casting to become a reality, Cranston has not played the character in live-action or animation, yet.
Lex Luthor will appear in James Gunn’s upcoming reboot film, Superman: Legacy, which is the first film in the forthcoming DC Universe. DC Studios is currently screen-testing actors for the parts of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. With reports suggesting that after those roles are cast, the production will move on to casting Luthor and Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen. Superman: Legacy will be released in theaters in July 2025.
