Michael Rosenbaum Won’t Return as Lex Luthor For Crisis
To a generation of fans, Michael Rosenbaum was the most comic-accurate Lex Luthor in live-action. So when word broke that his former Smallville co-stars Tom Welling and Erica Durance would reprise their roles as Clark Kent and Lois Lane for The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation, viewers hoped that Rosenbaum wouldn’t be far behind. Unfortunately, it sounds like Jon Cryer is going to be the only Lex when Crisis launches this winter. Rosenbaum has confirmed that he won’t make an appearance during the upcoming event.
Rosenbaum made the announcement on Twitter. Apparently, Warner Bros. did ask him to be in the crossover. However, they declined to share any details about the nature of his role or when he would be filming. He also noted that the offer was for “no money,” which probably means it was a lowball number. You can read his full statement below.
Here ya go. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/8PFT6wsPMo
— Michael Rosenbaum (@michaelrosenbum) September 24, 2019
RELATED: Smallville’s Erica Durance Will Play Lois Lane in Crisis
Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor was part of Smallville’s main cast for the show’s first seven seasons. During the final episode’s epilogue, it was revealed that Lex was elected President of the United States.
It’s understandable that Rosenbaum would want to know more about his role in Crisis before accepting. Still, his refusal is rather surprising. In a recent episode of his Inside of You podcast that featured Welling as a guest, Rosenbaum indicated that he was open to playing Lex Luthor again. In fact, he seemed genuinely upset that he wasn’t granted an audition for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“I love Jesse [Eisenberg],” said Rosenbaum. “I worked with him. He’s a great actor. He’s great. I’m just saying, why didn’t Zack Snyder just say ‘Let’s just read Rosenbaum?’ Why didn’t somebody at the f***in’ studio just go, ‘Let’s read him? Let’s see what he’s got.’”
Do you think Rosenbaum made the right decision? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Smallville Season 11 Vol. 2: Detective
