Who’s your daddy?

In 1975, Marlon Brando was famously paid $US3.7 million, (+ 11.75% of the box office, totaling $US19 million) to play Jor-El, Superman’s biological father in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie.

Demanding to shoot his scenes in just 12 days, refusing to learn his lines and even suggesting his character appear as either a suitcase or a green bagel; thankfully a crafty appeal to his ego from Donner saw Brando begrudgingly don the bright white attire we know and love.

Now despite the two never meeting, Brando apparently stated to close friends his favorite actor was indeed Russell Crowe. One such friend posthumously delivered a book to Crowe at Brando’s request, originally a gift from Jack Nicholson; James Kavanaugh’s There are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves.

News today from Variety indicates the high possibility that the occasional singer-songwriter is in talks to finally follow in the footsteps of his idol by slipping into Jor-El’s mumu for Zack Snyder’s reboot, Superman: Man of Steel . If true, Crowe will join an ensemble cast including Michael Shannon (Zod), Amy Adams (Lois Lane) and Kevin Costner joining Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Relative newcomer Henry Cavill will be donning the lycra as Superman/Clark Kent.

Producer Christopher Nolan, no stranger to big-name ensembles himself, is rumored to be the driving force behind the decision to cast Crowe as the ill-fated character.

No word yet on the bagel/suitcase interpretation, we can only assume Crowe will play it straight.