“Supergirl” has found its Lex Luthor, and it’s someone who is already familiar with the family.
Former “Two and a Half Men” star Jon Cryer has been cast in the recurring role of the iconic DC Comics villain on The CW drama; he’ll make his debut on the 15th episode. It’s a return to the Luthor family for Cryer, who had previously played Lex’s nephew, Lenny Luthor, in the 1987 film, “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.”
Cryer’s Luthor will not appear in the network’s upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover between “Supergirl,” “Arrow” and “The Flash.”
“We are enormous fans of Jon Cryer, and he was instantly our dream actor to play the iconic role of Lex Luthor,” said “Supergirl” executive producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller. “Jon is a super-talent, and the fact that he played Lenny Luthor in ‘Superman IV’ brings an added layer of legacy to his casting. We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Jon to the ‘Supergirl’ family.”
Luthor is known in both the comics and on screen as the arch-nemesis of Superman, who is played by Tyler Hoechlin on The CW series. In “Supergirl,” Luthor has already been incarcerated and his half-sister, Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath), is running LuthorCorp, though she has rebranded it as L-Corp.
Lex Luthor was famously portrayed by Gene Hackman in Richard Donner’s 1978 “Superman” opposite Christopher Reeve and also in its sequels, “Superman II” and “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.” Kevin Spacey took over the role in Bryan Singer’s 2006 version, “Superman Returns,” which starred Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel. Most recently, Jesse Eisenberg portrayed the villain in Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and also had a cameo in “Justice League.”
On TV, Michael Rosenbaum played Luthor on the “Superman” prequel series “Smallville,” which aired on The CW and its predecessor The WB.
Cryer recently wrapped production on the film “Big Time Adolescence” opposite Pete Davidson.