Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston cast as Lex Luthor

Bryan Cranston has reportedly been cast as Lex Luthor in the next Superman film. Photo / AP

He has risen to television infamy by several names: Walter White, Heisenberg, The One Who Knocks.

But Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is putting behind his meth-king days with another ambition in mind: Destroying Superman.

Cranston has been cast as supervillain Lex Luthor in the Man Of Steel sequel, reports Cosmic Book News.

He joins another high-profile casting in the film - Ben Affleck, who received a veritable tidal wave of backlash after receiving the role of Batman.

It would be fair to assume, however, that Cranston's casting won't inspire anything but pure excitement.

The 57-year-old actor has won innumerable acclaim for his seething, complex portrayal of timid science teacher-turned-drug lord Walter White on AMC's Breaking Bad, and the role of Lex Luthor should provide a perfect platform for Cranston to continue stretching his sensational acting chops.

Cranston's Lex Luthor will appear in more than just the Man Of Steel sequel, which sees the return of director Zack Snyder and British actor Henry Cavill in the titular role.

The casting is said to be a six-appearance deal at minimum, reports Cosmic Book News, which means Cranston will pop up elsewhere in DC Comics' cinematic universe.

It's similar to the nine-appearance deal Samuel L Jackson took on when he was cast as the super-spy Nick Fury, who has appeared in the first two Iron Man films, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and 2012's record-smashing The Avengers.

Lex Luthor first appeared in Action Comics issue No. 23, published April 1940, and the character has gone through several interpretations over the years.

The villain has been both a mad scientist as well as a megalomaniacal white-collar criminal, but considering the Man Of Steel franchise is a reboot of the original Superman trilogy, Cranston could play a role similar to Gene Hackman's in the 1978 Superman pic.

Other rumoured castings include Matt Damon as Aquaman or Martian Manhunter, and Mark Strong could join in the role of Green Lantern mentor Sinestro, which he played in 2011's Green Lantern.

- Daily Mail