James Gunn’s Superman boasts a stacked ensemble cast consisting of various DC Comics heroes and villains, but the film could feature even more prominent figures from DC lore. In his newsletter, Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider notes that there are “some major casting surprises” in store for Superman. He speculates that a prominent A-lister might be portraying Jor-El in the film. One name Sneider posits is Tom Cruise, citing the actor’s recently signed deal with Warner Bros. that sees Cruise develop original films and franchise installments at the studio. He also mentioned Chris Pratt as a possibility, but noted that is unlikely since Marvel still has plans for Pratt’s Star-Lord in the MCU.
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“Could DC have plans for Cruise? It’s possible… though I can only imagine him as Batman or as Superman’s biological father, Jor-El,” Sneider wrote. “There are said to be some major casting surprises in Gunn’s Superman, and I imagine Jor-El is one of them, so stay tuned on that front…”
Regarding Pratt, Sneider said, “I thought it might be Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt — and who knows, it still might be — but a source suggested that Gunn wouldn’t do that to Marvel’s Kevin Feige, seeing as how we likely haven’t seen the last of Star-Lord in the MCU.”
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Superman hits theaters this July and holds the important distinction of being the DC Universe’s first theatrical release. The film is under an immense amount of pressure to succeed at the box office, as some in the industry believe Warner Bros. could “go the way of Fox” (meaning, get bought out) if Superman falls short of expectations.
There are a plethora of Superman-related characters set to appear in Gunn’s film, but so far there’s been no indication Jor-El will be featured. Superman’s biological father has been depicted in previous cinematic iterations; Marlon Brando played Jor-El in 1978’s Superman: The Movie, and Russell Crowe portrayed the character in 2013’s Man of Steel.
There’s definitely precedent for recruiting a big name to play Jor-El, so it wouldn’t necessarily be shocking if Gunn’s Superman followed suit in this regard. From a storytelling perspective, Jor-El would be a good role for a surprise cameo. Gunn is eschewing Superman’s origin story in his film, so by the time the movie’s main narrative starts, Krypton has long been destroyed. This means if Jor-El is in the film, he likely has a small part (perhaps appearing in a brief message to his son in the Fortress of Solitude). That wouldn’t require a sizable time commitment from an in-demand talent like Cruise or Pratt, though casting one of them as Jor-El could prove to be distracting. Audiences may not be able to look past a famous face that suddenly appears during what could be a critical moment for Kal-El’s arc.
Given his extensive history with Gunn, it’d be plausible for Pratt to have a cameo in Superman. However, Gunn’s supposed hesitancy to go that route also makes sense. There are multiple actors who have played both DC and Marvel characters, but they usually don’t take on both franchises simultaneously. Leaked Avengers: Doomsday concept art clearly suggests Pratt will reprise Star-Lord in the film, so his time with Marvel is still ongoing. Making a cameo as Jor-El isn’t the same as portraying a hero poised to make multiple appearances across various movies and TV shows, but Gunn could have someone else in mind for his casting surprise.
