Jesse Eisenberg revealed as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Comic fans are getting their first look at Superman's arch nemesis in the hotly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, with Entertainment Weekly releasing the first official image of actor Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

Eisenberg, who earned an Oscar nomination for his icy portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, appears to have shaved his head to play the evil billionaire, suggesting a return to the super villain's classic comic book origins.

But director Zack Snyder is readying fans for a surprise.

"He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure," Snyder told the movie magazine, "other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course."

​Lex will make his first appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which is scheduled for a May 6, 2016 release.

Star-studded cast

​​Other cast members include Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Batman's butler Alfred and Jason Momoa as Aquaman.

The follow up to 2013's Man of Steel, is expected to be a jumping off point for Warner Bros. which will introduce new characters that will be spun off into separate stand-alone films.

The move is widely seen as an attempt by Warner Bros. (which owns DC comics) to compete with the popularity of the Marvel movie machine.

• VIDEO | Wonder Woman movie heralds new era for female superheroes
• Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice official title of Man of Steel sequel

As for Luther, Forbes says movies featuring the evil billionaire have earned about $850 million US worldwide, making him a pretty bankable bad guy.