Lex Luthor Scenes Cut from “Justice League” Final Edit

According to Batman-News.com, sources who have attended an early screening of the “Justice League” movie report that there was no appearance at all by Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor.

In December 2016 Warner Bros. sent out their 2017 movie preview press kit, which included a cast listing for “Justice League”, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was on that list.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Raymond Fisher, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielson, J.K. Simmons

Action Adventure. Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes – Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash – it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Obviously scripts change during production, and scenes can be cut during post-production, so perhaps the scenes with Lex Luthor were excized at some point in the process.

“Justice League” will be released to theaters on November 17, 2017.

20 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
RalphTurano
RalphTurano
September 21, 2017 6:18 pm

Like Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor or not, I think it’s too bad that the character isn’t being used. Especially since he seemed to know a little something about what will be coming to mess up the planet. I would have at least liked to see his reaction when everyone’s favorite makes his triumphant return.
Maybe we’ll get to see it in the inevitable super-deluxe extended cut.

GodzillaofSteel
GodzillaofSteel
September 21, 2017 6:42 pm
Reply to  RalphTurano

I agree, and I was thinking the same thing. Whether a person likes or dislikes Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, it’s unfortunate that the character won’t be used or even shown in the Justice League film. But as you suggested RalphTurano, perhaps we will get to see him in the “inevitable super-delux extended cut.” Agreed.

Clark_Jo
Clark_Jo
September 21, 2017 6:57 pm
Reply to  RalphTurano

I cannot wait for the 10 disk box set that contains every version of the movie.
(Yes that’s a joke about all the re-shoot rumors)

s-shield
s-shield
September 21, 2017 8:39 pm
Reply to  Clark_Jo

Lol. Nice. I’m stealing that joke, Clark Jo.

RalphTurano
RalphTurano
September 22, 2017 4:15 pm
Reply to  Clark_Jo

It’s sad that I would definitely make that purchase.

spidey2878
spidey2878
September 21, 2017 6:56 pm

I’m not a fan of his version. Since Lex won’t be in it,I think it will only help the movie.

Clark_Jo
Clark_Jo
September 21, 2017 7:02 pm
Reply to  spidey2878

Well I think, like Superman, it was supposed to be the “pre” Lex that we know based off of Birthright Lex.
At least he was a billionaire and scientist not a cartoonish villain living in the sewers….right?
*ducks behind something sturdy*

JasEl
JasEl
September 21, 2017 7:37 pm
Reply to  Clark_Jo

He may have been a billionaire scientist, but he was more cartoony than all the other versions combined.

MattComics
MattComics
September 22, 2017 1:34 am
Reply to  Clark_Jo

You’re right he was not Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor.

Instead, he was Jim Carey’s Edward Nigma.

RalphTurano
RalphTurano
September 22, 2017 4:23 pm
Reply to  Clark_Jo

I agree in the hopes that BvS Lex was sort of an “origin of a supervillian” situation.
It would be cool if Lex’s private persona becomes more menacing and subdued following his prison stay.
I don’t know that I’d have a problem with him maintaining the “flaky boy genius on the spectrum” persona in public. It could help reinforce the idea that the public really has no idea what the “real” Lex is like. I think it makes him more dangerous.

Clark_Jo
Clark_Jo
September 21, 2017 6:56 pm

I wouldn’t take this as confirmation or denial of Lex. Just that some people told Chris they had seen it.

sundevil82
sundevil82
September 21, 2017 7:41 pm

I say hold off on Lex until a director is brought in that can really wrangle Jesse’s weird performance in. I don’t understand what they were going for there.

redcape
redcape
September 24, 2017 12:08 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

Simple……they were going for something different than the middle aged bald cartoon Luthor we’ve all seen for ever!

sundevil82
sundevil82
September 24, 2017 9:42 pm
Reply to  redcape

I do agree that they needed to go with something different. That being said, Eisenbergs performance was most definitely cartoony.

Nate1986
Nate1986
September 21, 2017 11:48 pm

I was talking to Batman News, and he said the version that was shown to test audiences was supposedly an assembly cut. Which means scenes are up in the air in terms of whether they’ll be in the final cut. One example is a rumored three endings where someone dies in one, but doesn’t in the other two. And another is the fact that, according to a couple of sources, what they saw didn’t include Whedon’s scenes. Lex is one example of this: he could be cut, he might not. We won’t know until November.

Reaganfan
Reaganfan
September 23, 2017 3:44 pm

Think I’ll enjoy this movie alot more since I really didn’t like Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. 🙂

Jpx98
Jpx98
September 24, 2017 2:21 am

I think maybe he was in it, but after Zack left, and Josh took over for him, and despite saying he’d keep everything Zack did, I think Josh decided to make it his own movie and changed a lot things, and cutting Lex out was one of those things he wanted to do, once he decided to make it his movie and not Zack’s anymore.

redcape
redcape
September 24, 2017 12:12 pm
Reply to  Jpx98

The movie was pretty much done when ZS stepped away. Josh was brought in to fine tune what was left. Saying he’s going to make it his move would be a big financial burden. Let alone re-writing major points in the movie. They weren’t going to do that.

MattComics
MattComics
September 25, 2017 12:43 pm

The really frustrating thing is that the modern Lex (basically Lex as he’s more or less been defined since Byrne’s Man Of Steel) has never really gotten a shot at the big screen which is honestly ridiculous because that version is a perfect fit for a movie. You could also go the animated series route and introduce him as CEO Lex and then have his downfall lead him into being the criminal scientist.

Kevin Spacey would have nailed that and instead he’s stuck doing a Gene Hackman impression.

sundevil82
sundevil82
September 25, 2017 2:36 pm
Reply to  MattComics

This^^. The closest we’ve gotten to that version of Lex has been Michael Rosenbaums version. Superman Returns completely wasted Kevin Spacey. I thought we’d be getting a Byrne-era Luthor in the DCEU and was cautiously optimistic when Jesse was cast, but he was left to his own devices and we got a very strange interpretation of the character. I did think that he had potential to do well and there were glimpses where I thought it would work out as I watched it the very first time (the scene where he first talked to the senator about the meta-human thesis),… Read more »