The untitled Man of Steel sequel, commonly known as Batman vs. Superman, caused quite a stir when it cast Jesse Eisenberg as evil mastermind Lex Luthor. Was there a method behind Warner Bros. madness? Plus, has the real title of the movie been revealed? (Hint: it's not Batman vs. Superman.)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. was originally considering an older actor to play Lex Luthor, but decided to try to appeal to a younger crowd. A source for the website says that other young contenders for the role were 30-year-old Adam Driver (Girls), who passed due to a conflict, and 39-year-old Joaquin Phoenix (Her), who passed for unnamed reasons.

The website says that the new Lex Luthor will be comparable to those seen in more recent Superman works such as The WB's Smallville and the graphic novel Superman: Secret Origin, where Lex Luthor and Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) were childhood friends. Latino Review reportedly "hit up sources" and learned that the Batman vs. Superman's Lex Luthor will be a "street tough" man who crawled out of homelessness and gangbanging to become a billionaire by the age of 18.

Some fans wonder what happened to rumored contenders like Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Fast & Furious 6). Multiple The Hollywood Reporter sources and Cranston himself say he was never asked to play Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Johnson has been teasing a possible Green Lantern role. In addition, Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) was reportedly discussed amongst the studio but never had an audition.

"[Director Zack Snyder] doesn't see a lot of people," the source said.

Meanwhile, the Man of Steel sequel is still looking for an official name. ComicBookMovie.com reports that Warner Bros. has been registering these possible titles over the past year: Man of Steel: Battle the Knight; Man of Steel: Beyond Darkness; Man of Steel: Black of Knight; Man of Steel: Darkness Falls; Man of Steel: Knight Falls; Man of Steel: Shadow of the Night; Man of Steel: The Blackest Hour; and Man of Steel: The Darkness Within. The newest title was registered this week: Man of Steel: Fight or Flight.

The Man of Steel sequel hits theaters May 6, 2016.

Related