RUMOR: Bradley Cooper Playing Lex Luthor?

Bradley Cooper has been choosing a lot of odd projects lately which run the gauntlet of comedy, indie, action, blockbuster, genre and drama. Today's big rumor of the day brings Cooper back to the world of comic book roles. CosimicBookNews (via ComicBookMovie) "reports" that now that Paradise Lost's production is on hold Warner Bros. is looking for Cooper to make a cameo in Man of Steel as Lex Luthor.

At the moment this nothing but an interesting rumor but if the studio is really intent on making more Superman films Cooper isn't a bad casting choice for Lex. It had been mentioned a while back the studio might be already working on a sequel to Man of Steel. If true it could end up as brief as Russell Crowe's cameo as Jor-El, Superman's father.

Bradley had been previously rumored for Edgar Wright's Ant-Man. He also had some interest in Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) before being replaced by Ryan Reynolds and Eric Draven in the now dead Crow reboot.

FIRST LOOK: Russell Crowe As Jor-El On The Set Of Man Of Steel

Antje Traue Is Playing A Kryptoian Villainess In Superman!

German actress Antje Traue (Pandorum) has been confirmed by Variety and Deadline joining Superman: Man of Steel. They are giving conflicting characters Ursa (seen in Superman 1-2) and Faora both Kryptoian villains but she has joined the film none the less. This very well could be the role that Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) had been testing for. I haven't seen much of Antje's work but she did a decent job in Pandorum giving one of the better performances in the film. It's expected she will be an ally of General Zod (Michael Shannon).

RUMOR: Kryptoian Villain Faora Also In Superman?

LatinoReview is upping their previous rumor of the inclusion of a female Kryptoian villain. They state it's Faora who is an actual character from the comics with ties to Zod. She was the basis for the Richard Donner character Ursa which was featured in Superman II. It was rumored that actresses Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), Alice Eve and Rosamound Pike were auditioning for the role of a villain and not the role of Lois Lane.

Michael Shannon Officially Playing Zod In Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel

Warner Bros. has finally announced the villain for Zack Snyder's Superman reboot which is now officially titled Man of Steel. Michael Shannon is set to play General Zod and is likely to steal the show. Shannon has been known as a character actor taking smaller roles but came into his own recently with his performance in the first season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire. It's still unknown if Lex Luthor, General Sam Lane or Metallo will also be involved in the film but at least we know Zod is for sure now. Shannon joins an impressive cast that includes Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner.

Michael Shannon In Talks For Villain Role In Superman

Deadline reports that Michael Shannon is in talks for the unnamed villain in Zack Snyder's Superman. Shannon is best known for his role as a prohibition officer in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. He also earned an Oscar nomination for his role in Revolutionary Road.

Michael Shannon, James Franco & Benicio Del Toro Confirmed For Iceman

This could be the swan-song for Mickey Rourke's competing film based on the real life mob hitman Richard Kuklinski. MovieHole reports that Michael Shannon, James Franco and Benicio Del Toro have signed on to star in Iceman. There were teaser posters floating around online for months and the actors had been attached but it's now official. It's another high tension action driven project coming from Nu Image/Millennium Films. Who recently released The Expendables and the upcoming Mechanic remake.

Shannon will play the notorious hitman known for freezing his victims' bodies to throw off police to the time of death. Del Toro will play his mob employer Roy Demeo and Franco his mentor.