Jor-El, the biological father of Superman, is played by Russell Crowe in Man of Steel , the next Superman film that started shooting in August .
Yesterday, pics emerged of Crowe in his Jor-El outfit, and the Kiwi actor didn’t look all that super, man. More paunchy. Paunchman’s a thing, right? No? Crap.
The 47-year-old Crowe was spotted on set in Vancover, merrily puffing away on a cigarette as his costume was tweaked by crew members. Crowe reportedly worked out for this role (so perhaps those are just some unflattering folds) which is a good thing, really, as he’s going to be dad to Superman, as played by Henry Cavill:
That said, I still think Crowe is a good choice. The guy can act, and as the Daily Mail points out, at least he’s more streamlined than Marlon Brando was when he took the role. Crowe also has a passing likeness to Jor-El …
Man of Steel is being directed by 300 and Suckerpunch director Zack Synder, and will be a complete reboot of the Superman franchise. It’s due out June 14th, 2013, and comes with a budget of $175m.
As well as Cavill in the lead role and Crowe as his father, the film will have Amy Adams as Lois Lane (Adams beat Mila Kunis to the part), Michael Shannon as General Zod, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, the Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent, the adoptive parents of Superman.
