411 on Kevin Spacy as Lex Luthor

Wizard was kind enough to give an exclusive excerpt from actor Kevin Spacey about his role as Lex Luthor.

Kevin Spacey has a long history with Lex Luthor. Nearly nine years ago he was rumored for the role, targeted as director Tim Burton's choice to play Superman's nemesis, reprising the part that Gene Hackman had made so famous. But alas, Burton's project never came to fruition and years later, director Bryan Singer took over the project and who was his first choice to play the diabolical entrepreneur? His 'Usual Suspects' star Spacey.

So now that Spacey has finally nabbed the part of lead villain in the upcoming blockbuster film 'Superman Returns,' what's he have planned for Lex?

"To me, it's one of those great, iconic parts," Spacey exclusively told Wizard: The Comics Magazine, taking a break from tooling around the New Krypton set of the film in Sydney, Australia in a golf cart adorned with the Superman logo. "Bryan's been very attentive and respectful to the genre and what the fan base really wants, but he also brings a new direction to the character and how people deal with each other. This film is a much darker Lex than the Gene Hackman character. This is a bitter Lex. This is a Lex after a long time in prison. But there's still a lot of humor to it.

To hear more from Spacey about playing Luthor, pick up Wizard: The Comics Magazine on Wednesday, Dec. 21, an issue that features exclusive interviews with Spacey and Singer and an eight-page Q+A with star Brandon Routh and more. It's all part of a special 28-page 'Superman Returns' extravaganza in Wizard's 2006 Preview issue that runs down the top 118 things you need to know about 2006, including movies, comics, DVDs, toys and more. Pick it up Wednesday at your favorite comic store or visit Wizard