Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston calls Lex Luthor fan casts “lazy”

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston thinks the idea of him playing Lex Luthor is an example of “lazy” fan casting.

The Breaking Bad actor was a fan-favorite Lex Luthor pick before rumblings about casting for DC’s rebooted film universe hit the web.

Of course, Jesse Eisenberg assumed the role of the billionaire big bad for Batman v Superman. Since then, a few other actors have also brought the character to life in live action.

Two and a Half Men alum Jon Cryer played the part to much acclaim on Supergirl. And The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz recently joined the cast of Superman and Lois as an imprisoned version of the villain.

For the big screen, though, some people still wonder whether Bryan Cranston would’ve looked good opposite the Man of Steel.

Bryan Cranston addresses long-running Lex Luthor fan casting

Speaking to Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, Bryan Cranston addressed the Lex Luthor fan castings from his Breaking Bad days.

“It was because I had a bald head, they go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.” As far as he knows, though, there was never a push behind-the-scenes for him to play either Lex or – another fan-casting favorite – Jim Gordon.

Cranston speaks briefly about Lex Luthor fan casting around the 41:00 mark in the video below:

Arguably, the Bryan Cranston/Lex Luthor fan casting wasn’t purely centered around looks. Many would contend his Walter White character in Breaking Bad served as a great test bed for Lex’s amoral, billionaire criminal mastermind routine. It seems Cranston won’t be playing it out anytime soon, however.

As of now, there’s no word on what WB and DC have planned for Superman’s next blockbuster outing. But since Superman: Legacy will take inspiration from the beloved All-Star Superman, it’s possible Lex will return to the big screen sooner rather than later.