Christopher Meloni joins Zack Snyder’s SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL reboot in “General”

Christopher Meloni joins Zack Snyder’s SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL reboot in “General”

As a longtime fan of the show Law and Order: SVU, I am extremely excited about this news.  Christopher Meloni, Detective Elliot Stabler from the aforementioned L&O:SVU and Chris Keller from Oz, is in negotiations to star in next year’s Superman: Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder.

When news originally dropped that Chris was signing on for a huge, undisclosed role, many began to wonder who this role might be.  With the news that he would be sharing screen time with Snyder’s new big blue boyscout, Henry Cavill, fan speculation began as to the identity of Meloni’s role.  The top two likely candidates that fans speculated could be the mystery role were the unfilled roles of Superman’s most famous arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, or Clark Kent’s boss, Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief, Perry White.  Well, you can now nix those thoughts.

Vulture managed to catch up with the retired SVU alum to find out just who he will be playing.  While the actor did not reveal too much, he did reveal that he would be playing a General in the movie.  With the role of General Zod already fulfilled by Michael Shannon, there leaves only one famous General in Superman’s world:  General Sam Lane, father of Lois Lane.

Don’t let the bald head fool you: Christopher Meloni, the latest star linked to Zack Snyder’s Superman movie Man of Steel, will not be playing villain Lex Luthor (as some online fans have speculated). When Vulture caught up with the now exLaw & Order: SVU star at the Public Theater Gala earlier this week, he told us he’d be instead playing a general in the movie. But when we pressed for more information about the role, he said, “I can’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you.” We did manage to learn that he starts filming at the end of August and he’ll shoot his part over the course of five months in locations including Chicago, Vancouver, and Edwards Air Force Base.

Chris already has experience working with DC, voicing Hal Jordan and his alter-ego, Green Lantern, in 2009’s animated Green Lantern: First Flight.  While his portrayal of General Sam Lane is not carved in stone and may turn out to be another “General”, it will still be exciting to see him bringing his talents to the big screen.  His turn as “Freakshow” in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and “Sven”, the flamboyant clerk at the Flamingo Hotel in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas were great roles that I thought he knocked out of the park, even if they were small parts.

The Zack Snyder directed Superman: Man of Steel is scheduled for release in December of 2012 and stars Henry Cavill and Clark Kent / Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Julia Ormond as Lara Lor-Van, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Michael Shannon as Zod and Antje Traue as Faora.

What are your thoughts?  Do you like that Christopher Meloni is joining this all-star cast?  Who do you think he will be playing in the movie?

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About the Author

Jim is an avid movie enthusiast, representing the general movie going audience, looking at movies for their entertainment value as opposed to their critical weight. He enjoys the escapism that movies provide. He is a fan of all genre's of movies, but gravitates toward comic-based movies, summer "popcorn" flicks and over-the-top comedies as his preference.