Man of Steel's Russell Crowe Would Have Loved a Jor-El Prequel

While his role in Man of Steel is generally fairly brief, Russell Crowe's appearance as Jor-El is a memorable one with Kryptonian sending his infant son, Kal-El away from the doomed planet in a spacecraft just before being killed by General Zod. While the appearance is very much a critical part of Kal-El's story on his journey to becoming Superman, there's obviously a lot of rich story for Jor-El there as well, so much so that the idea of a Jor-El prequel is something of a tantalizing one for fans and while no such project ever materialized, Crowe says he would have loved to have been able to tell it. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Crowe said it is something that would have interested him.

"I think that you know, those kinds of conversations happen all the time," Crowe said. "You know, once somebody has something like that going and you know how else you can sort of make things out, I would have loved to have done like a Jor-El story pre the Superman story and while him and [General Zod] our friends and the buildup of the political tension. That would have been interesting."

Ultimately, there was never a Jor-EL prequel or even a sequel to Man of Steel. In fact, the entire trajectory of Superman-related stories in terms of DC's live-action slate has shifted with the new DC Studios plans. Earlier this year, co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that the upcoming plans for the universe will see a younger version of Superman in Superman: Legacy.

What is on the DC Universe slate?

As Gunn and Safran revealed, the initial DC Studios slate for "Gods and Monsters" will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series.

"We're honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we've loved since we were children," Gunn and Safran said in a statement when their roles were first announced. "We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved. Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. We're excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told."

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