Kurt Russell Responds to Jor-El Casting Rumors in James Gunn's Upcoming SUPERMAN: LEGACY at DC

Actor Kurt Russell has played an other-worldly father for director James Gunn before, when he appeared in the MCU sequel Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 as Star-Lord’s father, the celestial being, Ego. Now rumors are swirling saying that Gunn, who does like to repeat working with his favorite actors, may be looking to cast Russell as Jor-El, father of Superman, in Gunn’s upcoming film Superman: Legacy.

Russell responded to the rumors in a recent interview with ComicBook, where he sat down to discuss his Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which he stars in with his son, Wyatt Russell. When Kurt was asked if he would even want to take on the role, he said:

"Yeah! Yeah, I'll take on Marlon Brando!" Kurt Russell boasted, referencing Brando’s role in the classic Richard Donner Superman movie. After a hearty laugh, the actor continued by saying, "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!" 

As for directly addressing the rumors, Kurt Russell would only allude to the fact that – while he's heard nothing official – perhaps there could be room for Jor-El to be explored in a new way.

"You know what: we don't know a lot about Jor-El. Maybe there's a version...  I never heard this, so I don't know. James Gunn was a blast to work with, though, so you never know."

I think Kurt Russell would be great in this role. If cast, he would join David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, and María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica, aka The Engineer.

It was also recently announced that Sara Sampaio, the Portuguese Victoria’s Secret model, has been cast as Eve Teschmacher, the assistant and sometimes mistress to the scheming villain Lex Luthor. Teschmacher is a character who made her debut in Richard Donner’s Superman and was played by Valerie Perrine. Sean Gunn was also recently cast as Maxwell Lord in the DC Universe, and he may make an appearance in the upcoming film.

Would you like to see Kurt Russell cast in the role of Jor-El?