We didn’t see this coming, did we?

Today it was announced that Jesse Eisenberg has been cast to play Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons has been cast to play Bruce Wayne’s father figure, Alfred.  I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in your heads.

While I would have loved to see Bryan Cranston as Lex, I could see Eisenberg taking on the role of Luthor. He can bring the bitter-narcissistic, intensity, ego, and nerd skills that Luthor has.  He’s younger than Lex usually is but then again who’s not to say that the film calls for a younger version of Lex?

Here’s what director Zack Synder had to say about Eisenberg as Luthor:

“Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940. What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”

 And on Irons as Alfred:

“As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure. He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”

I think Irons can pull definitely pull this off. He’s a good actor.

The casting revelations for this film have created super sized brain farts in the minds of fans.  Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, these two castings have created huge debates in fandom and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred will do the same.

The film is set to open worldwide on May 6, 2016