UPDATE: James Gunn has responded to this rumor on Threads, declaring that it's not true. However, given their work history, we still think Rooker is in the film, he's just probably not playing Lois Lane's father.
It's also worth noting that Gunn did a similar social media debunking to lead fans to believe that The Authority would not be in the film and then a few weeks later, María Gabriela de Faría (Yo soy Franky, The Moodys) was cast as Angela Spica aka The Engineer.
Original story below.
Jeff Sneider, a longtime Hollywood film reporter with previous stops at Variety, The Wrap, and The Tracking Board has updated his blog to report that longtime James Gunn collaborator Michael Rooker could be joining the cast of Superman: Legacy.
Sneider reports that Rooker is in line to portray General Sam Lane, father of Lois Lane- who will be portrayed by Rachel Brosnahan in the film.
Like Gunn's brother, Sean, Rooker has previously starred in virtually all of Gunn's films including Slither, Super, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Belko Experiment, and The Suicide Squad.
Based on that track record, even if Rooker isn't portraying Sam Lane, it stands to reason that he'll have some kind of role in the film.
The news comes on the heels of the revelation that Nicholas Hoult will be portraying Lex Luthor and Venezuelan actress María Gabriela de Faría will be portraying The Engineer, a member of The Authority.
In the comics, Sam Lane is a US Army General with an adversarial role with Superman, traditionally believing the Kryptonian alien to be a threat to Earth's safety. In some depictions, he is a member of Checkmate or Project CADMUS.
If true, it seems the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane in Superman: Legacy will have some familial tension, something lacking in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
Currently set for release on July 11, 2025, Superman: Legacy is the first film in Gunn's reboot of the DCEU. Filming is expected to begin this January.
The full cast for the film includes David Corenswet (The Politicians, Hollywood) as Clark Kent aka Superman, Rachel Brosnahan (Beautiful Creatures, House of Cards) as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced ( 100 Things to Do Before High School, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Suicide Squad) as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan (The Forgotten, Gotham as Metamorpho, María Gabriela de Faría (Yo soy Franky, The Moodys) as Angela Spica aka The Engineer and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Lex Luthor.
The synopsis for the film reads, "Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned."
Do you think Rooker would make a good General Sam Lane and do you expect the character to have a big role in the film? Let us know in the comment section below.