Lex Luthor
Continuing the theme of villain origin stories, Superman’s most nefarious nemesis is a surefire way of succeeding. Lex Luthor may seem like he needs Superman to be a great character.
However, that isn’t true as Lex is a good enough foil for himself. His ego is always his downfall and it’s a flaw that the movie can focus on.
One origin of Lex is coming from a bad childhood. His father is abusive to him and his mother, and he lives in the slums of Metropolis. Using this origin is a way to make audiences feel bad for him.
If the Joker is compared to Taxi Driver then a movie on Lex Luthor can be like The Wolf of Wall Street.
It charts the protagonist at his lows and follows him to becoming a successful stockbroker. Letting the Lex movie be similar to this can chart him from starting out in the business world to becoming a successful businessman.
Of course, it will also show his nefarious dealings behind the scenes. Even if they want to exclude the idea of Superman, his secret dealings can be manipulating the stock market, bribery or doing illegal experiments.
There are other characters from the DC universe who can be used in the movie. Lex can start out as an employee for Wayne Enterprises or Queen Industries.
He manipulates his way up the ladder, steals secrets then builds his own company in Luthor Corp. Even bringing in Maxwell Lord as a rival would make the story even more interesting.
Although, if they don’t want a rivalry then bringing in a reporter to go against him is an idea. If Lois Lane is too young to be the foil to Lex Luthor then a reporter version of Perry White is another take.
Since its focus would be on a younger Lex then it’d make sense for whoever’s playing him to be late 20s, early 30s. An ideal candidate for that is Richard Madden. It seems an out of there choice but Madden has shown his acting range.
In Rocketman, he plays a sadistic manager who cares only for himself and makes people hate him. Opposite of that he’s only in 1917 for a small cameo and yet he manages to give a scene-stealing performance.
It’s an actor with that versatility who’s needed for Lex Luthor.
Lionel Luthor, Lex’s father, could easily be played by somebody like Bryan Cranston. He’s someone fans have wanted to play Lex but it never transpired. This seems like the next best choice and he has the ability to pull off such a horrible character.
