‘Smallville’ Star Michael Rosenbaum Declined Lex Luthor Reprisal in ‘Crisis of Infinite Earths’

Michael Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor for 10 seasons (2001 to 2011) of Smallville on The CW. He confirmed that Warner Bros recently asked him to reprise the role, after nearly a decade, in the planned Crisis of Infinite Earths crossovers with Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

The actor, however, said that he turned down the chance to play the role again. In a tweet, Rosenbaum explained that there wasn’t much to know about the project offered to him, thus he decided to pass.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I’ll just be straight up about this,” the actor wrote. “WB called my agents Friday afternoon when I was in Florida visiting my grandfather in a nursing home. Their offer: No Script. No idea what I’m doing. No idea when I’m shooting. Basically no money.”

“And the real kick in the ass,” the actor added ‘We have to know now.’ My simple answer was ‘Pass.’ I think you can understand why. I hope this answers all of your questions.”

Rosensbaum’s Luthor was a fan favorite on Smallville. Rumors of his appearance in the current shows on The CW have been appearing online since August but the actor has denied the stories.

Previously, the network and studio announced that Tom Welling and Erica Durance will be in the crossover. Both stars will reprise their Smallville roles as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane.

Also returning to play Superman are Tyler Hoechlin from Supergirl and Brandon Routh, who played the role in the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

The crossover on Crisis of Infinite Earths is one of DC Comics most popular stories. The CW has done these crossovers before but this year, the new series Batwoman will also be joining in the fray.

This big TV event will run for four straight nights in December.