Michael Rosenbaum Turns Down Arrowverse Crossover

Television

Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum has announced via Twitter that he won’t be joining Tom Welling and Erica Durance in the upcoming five-episode”Crisis on Infinite Earths” event. Rosenbaum states that, while an offer was made to him last Friday, the terms were vague, and the salary was next to nothing. When he was told they needed an answer immediately, he said no.

While I completely understand where Rosenbaum is coming from, I can’t deny that this news is disappointing, albeit somewhat expected. Michael Rosenbaum was always a highlight of the young Clark Kent series. He imbued the role of Lex Luthor with a sense of pathos and intensity that set him apart from the likes of Gene Hackman. The Justice League voice actor has always been proud of the fact that he did seven seasons of Smallville. He was seemingly content to leave his DC days behind him (to the point that he was initially reluctant to return for the series finale). Over the years, he has been asked about whether he would come to the Arrowverse. Usually, he would answer that he’d already done his work in the comic book genre and that he wasn’t interested in a cameo (a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 appearance notwithstanding). With everything this crossover was trying to do, and Jon Cryer’s iteration of Luthor already involved, I didn’t think the return of my favorite Lex would be a possibility. It’s a shame this didn’t work out, as I would have loved to see the two Luthor Corp namesakes face off; this is especially true given how great Cryer has proven to be in the role. Perhaps it’s not too late, and both sides can still come back to the table.

Are you disappointed we won’t get to see Michael Rosenbaum reprise his iconic role, or are you glad we’ll be able to keep the focus on Lois and Clark? Do you think there’s still a chance to work things out? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to Geeks + Gamers for more Smallville and Arrowverse content!