Michael Rosenbaum Passes On “Crisis” For Completely Fair Reasons
by Erik Amaya
One member of the illustrious DC TV past will not be part of the upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover: Smallville‘s Michael Rosenbaum. Taking to Twitter, the actor — who played Lex Luthor on the WB/CW program for seven seasons — plainly laid out the offer he was given and the reasons he passed on the opportunity to appear in the epic storyline.
Here ya go. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/8PFT6wsPMo
— Michael Rosenbaum (@michaelrosenbum) September 24, 2019
Now, some fans have already called him out on being unwilling to do this “for the fans” while charging them for photos at comic conventions, but that misses the reality of a working actor. The lack of a script is a big minus. Sure, some of the other actors are willing to come back on faith, but Rosenbaum already used up that faith for his appearance in Smallville‘s series finale. The next issue is a lack of a production dates. Sure, we all now the crossover is filming right now, but actors need specific times in the event a great opportunity comes along and they’ve already made a nebulous commitment. And, of course, there is the issue of his fee, which we can all debate until his next convention appearance. Nonetheless, it is a cocktail of problems for an actor who may have little interest in flying to Vancouver for a walk-on cameo. And we’re willing to bet the lack of a script speaks to the Smallville Lex doing little more than shouting at Superman (a returning Tom Welling) as he’s put behind bars.
And as Doctor Who fans know, the actor who holds out on the big reunion special is always the one with the most mystique.
Meanwhile, “Crisis” will feature special appearances from Batman ’66‘s Burt Ward, Batman: The Animated Series‘s Kevin Conroy, and Rosenbaum’s Smallville compatriots Welling and Erica Durance. It will also feature the cast members of all six CW superhero shows. That huge cast, and the opportunity to be lost within it, may be another Reason Rosenbaum turned down the part.
The Arrowverse shows return for their new seasons starting October 6th. “Crisis” beings on December 8th.
(h/t: TV Guide)