Rumor: Bradley Cooper to cameo as Lex Luthor in 'Man of Steel'?

In case you weren't sure, you simply can't have a Superman film without Lex Luthor in it somewhere. Or at least that's what you'd think, considering nobody wants to try. Batman doesn't always face The Joker, does he? Of course not, and Superman has more than enough heels in his rogue's gallery to occupy a few of his cinematic adventures. Sure, there was evil millionaire Ross Webster in Superman III, but he was basically Luthor in a different suit. When it  comes to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, the villain has long since been confirmed to be General Zod(Michael Shannon), with precious little mention of Luthor turning up except in brief unsubstantiated rumors. Well add another one to the pile, as Cosmic Book News has received a tip stating that Bradley Cooper would be making a cameo as the bald-headed, exo-suit wearing megalomaniac.

The site notes that this all sprang up due to Cooper's open schedule thanks to the delays on Paradise Lost, but to me this sounds a little far fetched....

"We were told after Paradise Lost bottomed out, that Bradley Cooper will appear as Lex Luthor in a cameo role in the Man of Steel.

Back in April of 2011, we were provided information that the first draft of the script held a prominent role for Luthor, one that even saw Lex forcing the Kryptonians through a Phantom Zone portal using Kryptonite in the final battle. At the end of the movie, Lex considers forcing Superman through as well, but relents."

Take this with your usual helping of salt, folks. Chances are this will turn out to be less than nothing. I have no doubt that Luthor will appear in some capacity, just not played by Cooper. With Snyder stating that he wants things to go slightly different for his take on the Man of Steel, I wouldn't be surprised to see Luthor show up in a friendly capacity....at first. Then slowly be revealed as the true villain over the course of a few movies. 

Let's say it did happen, though. Would Cooper make for an effective Lex Luthor? Who would you rather see play Superman's arch enemy?