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I'm warming to the Denzel Washington as Lex idea. He can very smart and intimidating - exactly the qualities Lex needs.
Well, Larry Fishburne is already Perry White, so small steps in that direction have already been taken. I have no particular favourite to play Luthor, I just (as others have said) want to see him done justice in a Superman movie writing-wise, in the same way that he was respected in the DC Animated Universe.
I've often said I don't think new Superman movies are even necessary since "Superman II" satisfies me enough that I'd be happy just watching it and no other Superman movie for the rest of my life, but if there's one thing that could justify a new Superman movie, it's giving Lex Luthor his due.
I understand avoiding him in the first movie to not make it feel like too much a re-tread of the last one (and possibly to foreshadow Luthor the way The Joker was set up in "Batman Begins") and I anticipate being more excited about the sequel to "The Man of Steel" if it hints at a new Luthor. Zod is a villain that was done so well in "Superman II", I feel like bringing him back is redundant and unnecessary. I could not say the same about Luthor, who has always been played as more of a buffoon and really didn't have to be.
I love how in the animated series, Luthor was a legitimate and successful entrepreneur who cleverly kept his illegal activities on the down low, making it very hard for Superman to deal with him. He'd do a lot of shady things, but he'd weasel his way out of being connected to them. This is a really fascinating characterization for a comic book villain, so I don't understand why it's never been attempted in a live action Superman movie, in favour of instead constantly making Luthor your stereotypical megalomaniac (with a wacky real estate obsession, for some reason).
I want to see the suave, sophisticated Luthor who actually has a good reputation in Metropolis. Maybe even go as far as saying he built half of it, as in the animated series. He shouldn't hate Superman just because he's an asshole jealous of Superman's power and wants to take over the world.
His motivation is much more interesting when it's because he poured so much of his money and passion into the city, and yet Superman gets all the glory and adulation of its people. It's a much more understandable jealousy, so while we're not necessarily on his side, we can at least see where he's coming from a bit. And I also think he can battle Superman and/or the Justice League in his rocket-powered flying battlesuit without looking as silly as Obadiah Stane did in "Iron Man"...it would just have to be done very, very carefully by the filmmakers.
Edited by Naisu Baddi - 12/15/12 at 6:00pm