Jesse Eisenberg may portray Lex Luthor in 'Suicide Squad'

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Jesse Eisenberg may star as Lex Luthor in Suicide Squad.

The 31-year-old actor will first portray the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March 2016, and is rumored to reprise the villain in Suicide Squad in August 2016.

Suicide Squad will be directed by David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury), with Justin Marks as writer and Charles Roven as producer. The film has been in development for years, but was put on the back burner in favor of Justice League. Tom Hardy, Will Smith and Margot Robbie are also rumored for roles.

In the original DC comics, the Suicide Squad is a team of antihero villains who carry out black-ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. Many different characters have been part of the group, including Deadshot, Harley Quinn and King Shark.

Eisenberg came to fame as Kenny Green on Fox series Get Real. The actor has since appeared in Zombieland, The Social Network and Now You See Me, and is scheduled to star in The End of the Tour, American Ultra and Louder Than Bombs.