Per Zack Snyder, Leonardo DiCaprio nearly played Lex Luthor in Justice League. The role was ultimately played by Jesse Eisenberg.
Speaking to Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder recalled the early conversations with actors for Lex Luthor. The character was initially introduced in the DCEU's second film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Names like Tom Hanks and Adam Driver were tossed around for the part.
Then Snyder dropped the biggest revelation — he spoke to DiCaprio about the part. When asked if DiCaprio seemed interested, Snyder seemed optimistic that he was to some degree.
“I think so. I think DiCaprio, he had a lot of great ideas, actually, just in the meeting,” Snyder said. “In the end, he was like, ‘Eh, you know, I don't know.'
“But he was really smart about the material and really smart about the character. And then really, in a lot of ways, I think he was the one that mentioned to me this idea about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point,” he continued.
While Leonardo DiCaprio didn't land the Lex Luthor part, Snyder jokes he took his idea. Superman does square off with the Justice League after being reborn in Justice League.
In the end, Jesse Eisenberg landed the role. He would reprise the role in 2017's Justice League (and Snyder's director's cut). Throughout his career, Eisenberg has landed several awards. In 2011, he was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in David Fincher's The Social Network.
Who is Zack Snyder?
Zack Snyder got his start by directing Dawn of the Dead in 2004. He would subsequently direct 300, Watchmen, Legend of the Guardians: The Owl of Ga'Hoole, and Sucker Punch.
Then, in 2013, Snyder would kick off the DCEU with Man of Steel. The film introduced Henry Cavill as Superman. A few years later in 2016, Snyder directed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He would remain a part of the DCEU, serving as a producer of Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and more.
In 2017, he directed Justice League. Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon during the production. Years later, he'd get to release the “Snyder Cut,” aka Zack Snyder's Justice League.
From there, Snyder was phased out of the DCEU. He remained a producer of projects like Wonder Woman 1984 and The Suicide Squad, but he didn't direct any other entries in the franchise.
Netflix became the home of all things Snyder pretty soon after. He created the Army of the Dead franchise in 2021 with the inaugural film. He co-wrote, produced, and directed the film and even served as the cinematographer. A prequel film, Army of Thieves, was released in the same year.
Rebel Moon is the latest project from Snyder. The first film, A Child of Fire, was released in 2023. A sequel to the space opera is being released on April 19 on the streaming service.