The Man In Black Vs The Big Blue Boy Scout
Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 2:50PM 
JA from MNPP here, taking a look and a listen at the whispers coming from Warner Brothers that no less than Joaquin Phoenix is being "sought" to play the bad guy in the next Superman (slash Batman slash Justice League) movie, which is thought to be a little somebody named Lex Luthor. "Sought" meaning somebody's floating the idea, and Joaquin hasn't even been offered anything yet, but hey it's the internet and we have to fill this place with something, so let's talk about it!
I personally was on a bit of a cold streak with regards to Joaquin for awhile, but then I thought he was the best thing going on in The Master last year, and then Her happened and in my review of that film (which is out in some theaters now! See it as soon as you can!) I called it "probably... when it all comes down to it, my favorite Joaquin Phoenix performance that will ever, ever happen." I stand by that effusive assessment here a few months later - indeed my affection's only grown. So Joaquin and I, we're totes good right now! And I kinda love the idea of him tackling a big bad super-villain.
Side-stepping over to the topic of whether it's a good idea to cram every character in the DC universe into Zach Snyder's next whizz bang opus though, well that's a bald horse of a different color. There are lots of Superman characters - Lex again? Really? And the stink off Man of Steel, which might've given me lasting brain damage, is making me wonder if Joaquin might be better off sticking to his auteur pieces anyway. What do we think?
Joaquin Phoenix, Superman
Reader Comments (6)
as long time as Zack Snyder directs and David Goyer writes,it will be without me
Does Warner Bros actually believe Her and 2014's Inherent Vice are going to do blockbuster numbers? These titles for their studio are so niche and precious and absolute on the opposite end of the quality spectrum from this piece of shit they're about to make. Phoenix would be wise to avoid any vehicle that'll up his profile to a place where I'm Still Here was attempting to destroy permanently.
french girl, ditto.
The only thing good that came from Superman Returns (remember that bizarre stinker?) was Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. He was an *incredible* Luthor. Can't they just bring him back? Don't get me wrong, I like Phoenix fine, but now Luthor in the movies will forever be Kevin Spacey to me. The rest of that movie was crap, though.
A young sexy Luthor might be a good idea- but they better get an actor who can be a great villain.
Anne Marie: If you thought it was bad enough with Man of Steel, now we've got Zack Snyder as a co-writer. (Ugh) The last time we got that, the result was Sucker Punch, aka "I have no idea what the pop cultural fantasies of women in the early 1960s were" (Hint: Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Rosalind Russell, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Russell. Bone up, Snyder.) I've only given out 3 F's before for movies I've watched, but Sucker Punch is probably something I'd possibly be tempted to toss an F- if I ever watched it.
As for this as the Superman villain: He's the only one that's sane enough from Superman's stable for Snyder and Goyer. If Lex and Zod are the only villain concepts that are "sane enough" from Superman's stable for you...back out now. Brainiac? Toyman? Mixy? Bizarro? Metallo? NONE of them have cinematic representation. At the very least Brainiac and Mixy SHOULD.