Kal-El's father won't be returning to the "Man of Steel" franchise in "Batman vs. Superman."
Russell Crowe, who plays Jor-El in director Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, confirmed to Yahoo! Movies he will not be reprising his role in the second installment of the franchise.
"I don't think they're going to use me again," Crowe told Yahoo. "I think they're jumping onto a different stream. ... They're going with the different superhero worlds colliding."
Crowe might be returning to the film, but there has been a slue of new cast additions since the "Man of Steel" sequel was announced. Ben Affleck joins the cast as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.
However, some fans have expressed outrage and heavily criticized Affleck's casting. Josh Brolin recently revealed he had passed on the Batman role for the film, and commented on the negative comments about Affleck, who he believes will do great in the role.
"People were so disrespectful, How can you blame an actor for acting? I understand you're a fan, but people forget that actors are human," Brolin told Yahoo. "When you're sitting in front of a computer it's easy to go, 'Well, I wish he would die. Send.' But somebody's going to read that. Their kids are going to read it and the wife is going to read it. We're so computer-oriented that we forget."
During a recent interview with Hero Complex, Snyder revealed he is also taking back by backlash from his casting decisions.
"There are two ways to think about it. We know the material," the director explained to Hero Complex. "Unfortunately, the fans don't know the material. So, we're casting according to what's happening in the script. And we're hoping that leads to enough originality, enough perspective on what we're doing that you get something fresh and exciting. I understand the canon."
"I'm not crazy," Snyder continued. "I know what these characters need from a mythological standpoint. I think Jesse is going to be an amazing Lex. Let's not forget he was nominated for an Academy Award. It's not like I just grabbed my friend to play the guy! This guy's the real deal. By the way, in looking at all the talk-back, you can get all different perspectives in there too. Some people are hating to hate. Some people - someone did some fan art. And you look underneath and someone wrote, 'I guess I can see it.' Honestly, are you kidding me? Just stop it! It's reassuring and frustrating at the same time."
