According to a rumor posted yesterday at Cinescape and IESB.net, TNG star Patrick Stewart is the first choice of director Bryan Singer to play the role of ’Jor-El’, the Kryptonian scientist and father of baby ’Kal-El’, in the upcoming SUPERMAN movie. The role was played by movie icon Marlon Brando in the 1978 SUPERMAN movie, starring Christopher Reeve as ’Clark Kent’/’Superman’.

Singer, who directed Stewart as ’Professor X’ in the two X-MEN movies, wants a well-known actor in the role. "I think what the deal is is that they want to surround an unknown with slightly more marketable names," explained the website’s source, referring to Singer’s alleged desire to cast an unknown actor in the role of the new Superman, like Reeve from previous four movies or Tom Welling from the current SMALLVILLE TV Series.

The original report can be found here.

In related news, according to the Superhero Hype! website, Wizard Magazine got official confirmation that 20th Century Fox is not waiting for Singer to direct X-MEN 3 (aka X3), again to star the original cast, including Stewart as ’Professor X’. As mentioned above, Singer will direct the upcoming SUPERMAN movie to Warner Bros. instead. "We can officially confirm that Bryan is off ’X3’, and that the project is moving forward," a studio spokesperson told the magazine.