Almost immediately after it was announced that Russell Crowe is in talks to play Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El, in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, people began wondering who would play Supes' biological mom. The story that quickly came up said that Connie Nielsen had been offered the role, but there were no further details. It would have been an interesting casting choice, as it would have paired the two up for the first time since Ridley Scott's Gladiator, but apparently it wasn't meant to be.

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. and actress Julia Ormond are working on a negotiation that will have her play Lara, Superman's mother, in Man of Steel. While the two sides are still talking, the site predicts that a deal should be closed shortly. In addition to Crowe, who is apparently not 100% official yet, Ormond would be joining a cast that includes Henry Cavill (as the titular hero), Amy Adams (as Lois Lane), Kevin Costner (as Jonathan Kent), Diane Lane (as Martha Kent), Michael Shannon (as Zod) and Antje Traue (as Faora). The article makes no mention of Connie Nielsen.

While the group that Zack Snyder has put together is quite strange, I must say that I think it looks fantastic. There's a brilliant mix of both A-list and unknown-but-incredibly-talented actors here that will hopefully make Man of Steel the best Superman movie yet. Production begins this summer and while the film doesn't have an official release date yet, it's expected to arrive in December 2012.