Michael Rosenbaum Joining James Gunn’s DC Universe?
Michael Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor on Smallville and now he's hoping to reunite with James Gunn.
Fans are speculating as to whether Michael Rosenbaum will appear in James Gunn’s DCU films. ComicBook.com reports that since Rosenbaum has a connection with Gunn and DC, having appeared in the second and third Guardians of the Galaxy films and played Lex Luthor in Smallville, people are wondering whether he might have a place in upcoming DC films. When asked about the possibility by attendees of a panel at CE2 in Chicago, the actor demurred but seemed open to the idea, at first brushing off the smallness of his role as Martinex in the Guardians movies and then saying he hoped he could do “something bigger” with Gunn, and that the DC Studios head would make the “right decision.”
Whether Michael Rosenbaum has a place in the DCU or not, he will surely always have a place in the hearts of Smallville fans, as his portrayal of Clark Kent’s most notorious frenemy helped anchor a series that sometimes veered wildly off course. His continued interest in portraying comic book characters shows too, not only in his role as Martinex but as the voice of The Flash in DC animated projects. We do love a casting crossover, as when Smallville itself featured such Superman alums as Annette O’Toole (Superman III’s Lana Lang) as Martha Kent and Superman himself, Christopher Reeve, as Dr. Virgil Swann.
While James Gunn and Michael Rosenbaum are somewhat connected, that doesn’t guarantee the actor a DCU role by any stretch. Of course, fans love to speculate, and we don’t mind that one bit. There could be any number of roles available for Rosenbaum, and it’s fun to think of what he could do that would both provide a welcome return to DC for him and give audiences something new, though he would certainly not be the first Luthor actor to return to DC in a new role.
As we reported previously, while Michael Rosenbaum might not be joining the new DCU, Clancy Brown will appear as Salvatore Maroni in the upcoming HBO Max series The Penguin. Brown is famous for many roles across sci-fi and genre entertainment, including providing the voice of Lex Luthor for Superman: The Animated Series and other DC animated projects. The Penguin will, of course, feature Colin Farrel in the title role, another actor who also has a credit in the Marvel universe as Bullseye in the 2003 Daredevil movie.
So, it’s hardly uncommon for actors like Michael Rosenbaum to have roles across DCU, Marvel, and other franchises, and some seem to relish it. For his part, Rosenbaum seems to potentially be open to the idea, though not passionate or particular about which role he might want. Gunn is, of course, presently the white-hot center of focus and controversy over his new role at DC Studios, which might already be planning to steal actors from Marvel, so why not steal them from The CW?
With Gunn’s every decision under scrutiny and seemingly always setting off one firestorm or another with fans, why not throw fans a bone they’re actually asking for and give Michael Rosenbaum a chance at a meatier role on the big screen in the new DCU?
