Leonardo DiCaprio almost starred as an iconic supervillain in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), despite previously telling Timothee Chalamet to stay away from superhero movies.
According to filmmaker Zack Snyder, the 49-year-old actor was in talks to play Lex Luthor in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Justice League director Zack Snyder, 58, said both Leo and Adam Driver were considered before the role ultimately went to Jesse Eisenberg.
Zack appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and said, “I think I spoke to Adam on the phone, yeah. Leonardo DiCaprio, I talked to him about it.”
Had DiCaprio gone through with the role, he would have shared the screen with an all-star cast including: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gado, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons and Holly Hunter.
Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured in May 2023) almost starred as an iconic supervillain in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), despite previously telling Timothee Chalamet to stay away from superhero films
According to filmmaker Zack Snyder (pictured in New York earlier this month), the 49-year-old actor was in talks to play Lex Luthor in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Justice League director Zack Snyder, 58, said both Leo and Adam Driver were considered before the role ultimately went to Jesse Eisenberg.
Had DiCaprio gone through with the role, he would have shared the screen with an all-star cast including: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gado, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons and Holly Hunter.
Zack said that Leo “actually had a lot of good ideas during the meeting.
“I think in the end he was like, ‘Eh, I don’t know.’ But he was very smart about the material and very smart about the character.
“In a lot of ways, I think he was the one who at one point introduced me to the idea of Superman fighting the Justice League.”
The revelation comes at an interesting time, as in 2022, Timothée Chalamet revealed the career advice given to him by fellow actor Leo, as he said he should stay away from that genre of blockbuster film altogether.
He graced the October 2022 issue of British Vogue as the first ever male solo cover star and shared the expert knowledge the Hollywood long-timer imparted to him.
The now 28-year-old star described his “delusion” of becoming an actor as he reflected on his rise to fame and his first meeting with Leo.
Timothée co-starred with Leo in last year’s dark comedy Don’t Look Up, but shed light on the duo’s first meeting in 2018.
The actor revealed that Leo simply told him, “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.”
Adam Driver (pictured in December) was also eligible
Zack said Leo (pictured May 2023) “actually had a lot of great ideas during the meeting. I think in the end he was like, “Eh, I don’t know.” But he was very smart about the material and very smart about the character.
The revelation comes at an interesting time, as in 2022 Timothée Chalamet revealed the career advice given to him by fellow actor Leo, as he said to stay away from that genre of blockbuster altogether: ‘No hard drugs and no superhero films’
Timothée previously mentioned his role models like Jennifer Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan and Leo, and so far seemed to take the star’s advice very seriously.
Perhaps Leo made the smart move to avoid the film, as Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice received mixed reviews from critics.
It was also considered a disappointment at the box office as it grossed $330.36 million domestically with a worldwide total of $874.36 worldwide on a budget of $250 million.