Superman & Lois to Recast Jonathan Kent After Actor Jordan Elsass Doesn't Report to Set

Superman & Lois star Jordan Elsass will not be returning as Jonathan Kent in the show's upcoming third season, Warner Bros. TV revealed on Tuesday night. Elsass has been cast in the series regular role of Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent / Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), since the show's inception. The role is expected to be recast for Season 3. Reports indicate that it was set in motion after Elsass did not report back to Vancouver, where Superman & Lois films, by a deadline given by the studio. It is unclear at this point why Elsass is exiting the series, although it is believed to be due to a personal matter, and Variety confirms it is not due to a "workplace-related issue."

"Jordan Elsass has notified the Studio that he will not be returning to Superman & Lois for season three due to personal reasons," Warner Bros. TV said in a statement Tuesday night. "The role of Jonathan Kent will be recast."

Initially described as clean-cut, modest and kind-hearted, with an aw-shucks attitude that somehow doesn't seem dated, Elsass' Jonathan went through some surprising revelations across the show's first two seasons. This included the recent debut of "Bizarro-Jon", an alternate-universe version of him that does have superpowers.

"Honestly, that's been my favorite part of the whole season," Elsass previously told Entertainment Weekly. "It was just so much fun to get into that headspace. I mean, you really feel powerful. And that's the thing about when you're really into it and you're doing the scene: It can drain the life out of you, or it can make you feel like a million bucks. Playing Jon El, because he's confident and dark, much like the Joker, I think that is a big similarity there. Heath played it the whole time that he's very, very confident in any situation and he just does not care."

He continued, "But the difference is that Jon El at least wants to be very calculated and meticulous and very calm and cool, but internally he's still young and obviously he's still going through it in these high-pressure, high-stress situations. That was the difficult part, playing into the fact that he's still the same age as other Jon. He's still a kid, you know? I had to play into that where it's not super, super dark. He still doesn't fully understand how the world works and people's motives because he's still young and naive. That was an interesting dynamic to play because it's not just full-out bad guy. There's still some innocence in him and there's still some good in him. But he's a villain in the making, definitely."

Season 3 of Superman & Lois is expected to premiere in 2023 on The CW.

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