A new rumor about James Gunn’s upcoming Superman indicates that one of the director’s longtime collaborators, Bradley Cooper, has a role in the film as Jor-El. Word of this casting was first shared by Twitter user @ViewerAnon, who noted that Cooper appears early on in Superman. Further information about the Oscar-nominated actor’s part in the reboot is unknown. The post @ViewerAnon quote-tweeted has since been deleted, but the Cooper rumor has been circulating around social media and picked up by other accounts.
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“He appears in the first couple minutes of the movie so I promise this is not a big spoiler,” @ViewerAnon wrote.
Earlier this month, there was speculation that Superman had a “major casting surprise” in store, with Tom Cruise and Chris Pratt mentioned as possibilities. Pratt’s involvement was deemed unlikely, however, since the actor is still actively a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While several DC characters are set to appear in Superman, there’s been no official confirmation about Jor-El playing a part in the film.
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Superman is gearing up for what will be a critical box office run this summer. As the first theatrical release of the DC Universe reboot, the film’s success could determine not just the future of the franchise, but also the future of Warner Bros. as a whole. Some people in Hollywood fear WB could be sold off a la Fox if Superman fails to live up to expectations, putting an inordinate amount of pressure on the movie.
First, it is important for fans to take this information with a grain of salt. For now, Cooper’s part in Superman is just a rumor that could be debunked. That said, it is one that seems plausible. Cooper has extensive history with Gunn, having voiced Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It wouldn’t be surprising for the two to collaborate again; it’s unusual for actors to be part of the Marvel and DC franchises simultaneously, but there’s so far been no indication Cooper will reprise Rocket in a future MCU project. He was not one of the 27 actors revealed as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, and the futures of most of the Guardians of the Galaxy characters remain up in the air. Only Star-Lord is confirmed to return, so Cooper could be done with Marvel.
Cooper’s casting as Jor-El would also be in line with Superman film history. It’s a role other high-profile actors have taken on in previous iterations (Marlon Brando, Russell Crowe). If Jor-El is indeed in Superman, it’d make sense for Gunn to target a big name of his own, and it’d be easy for Cooper to sign on since it doesn’t sound like it was too much of a time commitment. Even though Gunn is skipping over Superman’s origin story in his reboot, Jor-El could still factor in via recorded messages for his son in the Fortress of Solitude. Time will tell if this rumor pans out, but it would be interesting to see Cooper’s take on Jor-El. He’s a gifted actor who could make even the smallest part stand out.
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