Summary

• Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman, impressing Zack Snyder with his ideas for the character.
• DiCaprio's background in comics influenced Snyder, who considered his ideas for Superman fighting the Justice League.
• In another universe, DiCaprio was considered for the roles of Stan Lee and Spider-Man, showing his versatility as an actor.

At one point in time, Leonardo DiCaprio could have donned a bald cap (or shaved his head completely) to play Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe. Snyder held the reins of the DCEU, which included films like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman (both directed by Snyder), Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, until James Gunn took over in 2022.

Speaking to Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zack Snyder confirmed long-running rumors about the actors he approached to play Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder revealed one actor he considered was Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio. Snyder revealed, ""He had a lot of great ideas actually, just in the meeting. I think in the end, he was like 'Eh, I don't know.' But he was really smart about the material and really smart about the character."

The pair also discussed DiCaprio's background in comics. His father, George DiCaprio, was a prominent figure of the underground comic scene of the 1970s and '80s. Horowitz said, "He's a comic guy. As I understand it, actually." To which Snyder replied, "Yeah, so it was cool. I was just like, that's good. I'll just take that and put that over there," referring to DiCaprio's ideas about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder said that DiCaprio "was the one that mentioned this idea to me about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point."

Horowitz brought up the subject by discussing the rumor that Snyder approached Adam Driver to star as Luthor, before Jesse Eisenberg was cast. Snyder coolly confirmed the rumors, saying "I did speak to Adam."

Leonardo DiCaprio Was Previously Attached to a Different Comic Book Movie

It's safe to say that Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Lex Luthor would have drastically changed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But Snyder's film isn't the only comic book related movie the actor has been attached to.

In 2017, rumors began circulating that Leonardo DiCaprio was lined up to play Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee in a biopic. Lee added further fuel to the fire when speaking to Vanity Fair in 2017, saying DiCaprio is interested in "doing a movie of my life, with him playing me." In true Stan Lee fashion, the iconic comic book writer claims he replied to DiCaprio, saying, "I’m not sure you’re good-looking enough. We’ll test you, see how you look, see how it comes out. Don’t get too excited, we’ll let you know."

In a strange parallel universe (or a Spider-Verse), DiCaprio would also have played Spider-Man. He was reportedly a top contender to star as the friendly neighborhood web-slinger in both Sam Raimi's trilogy (before Tobey Maguire was cast), and in James Cameron's planned Spider-Man film. Sadly, the project was canceled in 1992, leaving fans wondering what the Killers of the Flower Moon star would have looked like swinging through New York.

Zack Snyder's newest movie, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, is the second part of his "mature Star Wars" franchise, following on from Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire. You can see the trailer for the movie below.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver is available to stream on Netflix from today (April 19, 2024).