Bryan Cranston: 'I Wasn't Offered Lex Luthor Role'

Bryan Cranston has revealed that he was not approached over the role of Lex Luthor in the forthcoming sequel to Man of Steel.

The Breaking Bad star told US radio personality Howard Stern that he would have been interested in taking on the role made famous by Gene Hackman in the earlier Superman movies.

Asked if he'd been offered the part, he answered: "I was not involved in any of that whatsoever. Oh, oh, I would have welcomed it."

And commenting on fan surveys choosing him for the role, he continued: "In the minds of fans, it's true. In the minds of the hierarchy of Warner Brothers, it's not true."

Warner Brothers disappointed many fans when it announced that Jesse Eisenberg would be playing Superman's most-famous enemy - although director Zack Snyder has defended the move.

Cranston had previously publicly expressed his interest in the part, saying: "Give me a call. I like Lex Luthor. I think he's misunderstood. He's a loveable, sweet man."

Currently titled Batman Vs Superman, the sequel to Man of Steel is slated for release in 2016 and will star Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman.