We've had more than our fair share of Batman on screen in recent years, but a new Superman movie has been long overdue for the better part of a decade. The Man of Steel appeared in the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, but for many fans, the less said about those, the better.
With that in mind, it's easy to understand why there's such a great deal of excitement for James Gunn's upcoming reboot, Superman: Legacy.
The cast has started expanding in the wake of the SAG-AFTRA strike, but there are still several characters who have yet to be added to the movie. Among them is Clark Kent's Kryptonian father, Jor-El, a character we recently learned will likely be played by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star Kurt Russell.
Alas, it seems a reunion for him and Gunn is off the table...at least with the legendary actor playing Jor-El!
Responding to a fan on Threads, the DC Studios co-CEO said, "I love working with and directing Kurt. Hilarious and fun and talented guy. But no this was never discussed."
Gunn would later add, "I just answered this to someone else but, no. Love Kurt, and, although the mores of Krypton are certainly different than ours, I’m not sure I see him as the first-time father of a newborn!"
In other words, the 72-year-old actor playing the baby Kal-El's father makes no sense in Gunn's eyes! Visual effects could have been used to de-age Russell, though we'd assume this means he plans to cast a younger actor as the Man of Tomorrow's father (if he even appears in the reboot).
It seems the filmmaker has had quite enough of some of the wild claims surrounding Superman: Legacy as he also said, "Just don’t trust anything that doesn’t come from me. The rumor mill has been insane and profoundly misinformed lately."
Asked this month if he'd be open to playing Jor-El, Russell said, "Yeah! Yeah, I'll take on Marlon Brando! [Laughs] I mean there was something awesome about the way he was just looking around - I don't care that he was looking at his lines - he's crazy-great to watch!"
"You know what: we don't know a lot about Jor-El. Maybe there's a version..." he continued before trailing off. "I never heard this, so I don't know. James Gunn was a blast to work with, though, so you never know."
David Corenswet is playing the Man of Steel, while Rachel Brosnahan has been tapped to star as Lois Lane. Other recent casting additions include Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
As noted, it's recently been reported that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star Kurt Russell may be in the running for Jor-El (there's no word on Ma and Pa Kent or whether they're even alive in this iteration of Clark Kent's story). Brainiac, meanwhile, is expected to serve as the reboot's big bad. With production set to begin early next year, we're hoping the final few cast members will be revealed imminently.
Superman: Legacy is currently set to be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.