German Actress Cast as 'Man of Steel' Villainess

German actressAntje Trauehas been cast as a Superman villainess in Zack Snyder’sMan of Steel.

Traue, 30, will play Faora, the basis forSuperman IIman-hater Ursa. AsVarietypoints out, there are several versions of the character in Action Comics lore. The first is a Kryptonian serial killer, martial artist, and torturer of men who is imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, along with General Zod (to be played byMichael Shannonin the upcoming reboot), and, as a result, survives the destruction of her home world. But Faora is Zod’s enemy in the prisoner’s realm, so this version seems unlikely for the December 2012 release.

However, in July 2001’s Action Comics #779 Faora is a“metahuman,” or super-powered mutant, and an aide to General Zod’s nefarious plot to unleash a mutagenic virus on Earth.

Traue is a virtual unknown in the States, but she played a supporting role in the sci-fi horror filmPandorum— I don’t recommend it. Deadline also reports Traue tested for the wife of Brad Pitt inWorld War Z, a part that eventually went to“The Killing” actressMireille Enos.

Latino Reviewfirst reported Warner Bros’ Superman reboot would include the return of Zod to the silver screen and a villainess sidekick of sorts. They also confirmed through their well-informed source thatMan of Steelwould, in fact, show Superman’s origins on the planet Krypton, which they describe as having a similar skyline to the futuristic capitol of Coruscant in Star Wars mythology. This fits with mylong-winded theorythat Snyder’s superhero restart is based on the miniseries“Superman: Birthright,” at least in part.

Short version: A prologue will likely introduce Superman’s birth parents, Jor-el (Daniel Day-Lewis was reportedly considered for the part!) and Lara, as they delicately place their infant son into an interstellar pod and rocket him away from the exploding planet of Krypton. Flash forward to a 25-year-old Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) intervening in a West African conflict.  Given his first taste of true heroics, Kent returns to the Kansas town of Smallville to create his costume and diminutive ”human” identity with the help of Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and Pa Kent (Kevin Costner). When his alter-ego is ready, Clark ventures into the city of Metropolis where, we can only assume, General Zod descends on the city.

It’s veryBatman Begins, but that’s to be expected from the same screenwriter, David Goyer, and producer, Christopher Nolan. Filming starts this summer in Chicago and Plano, IL.

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