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James Gunn Has Found His Ma And Pa Kent

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 18, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 18, 2024 |


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James Gunn’s Superman movie is filming. The highly-anticipated reboot is rounding out its cast in the process. In addition to leads David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, Gunn has added the likes of Isabella Marced, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Wendell Pierce, and Nicholas Hoult to his new superhero flick. The co-chairman of DC Studios is also filming a second season of Peacemaker. He’s busy! But that hasn’t stopped him from adding a couple of key characters to his Metropolis ensemble.

Martha and Jonathan Kent, the adoptive parents of Daily Planet Reporter Clark Kent, have been played by some heavy hitters over the years. Phyliss Thaxter and Glenn Ford played the couple in Richard Donner’s 1978 classic. Annette O’Toole and John Schneider took the reigns on the WB melodrama Smallville. Then, Diana Lane and Kevin Costner played the pair in Zack Snyder’s DCEU. Each iteration put its own stamp on the characters, and now James Gunn will bring in two character actors for his new film.

According to The Wrap, Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince will portray Martha and Jonathan respectively in Gunn’s first proper entry into his new DC cinematic universe. Howell and Vince are both seasoned veterans, having worked in the industry for decades. They aren’t big names but talented, reliable character actors you have likely seen before during their impressive careers.

Details about the characters have yet to be revealed, but there will likely be a “return to form” with the two. Johnathan and Martha Kent are often presented as good-hearted individuals who want their son to use his powers for good. One of the most oft-criticized elements of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was turning Johnathan Kent into a more paranoid father who wanted Clark to hide his powers from the world; So much so that it led to his death. We likely won’t see such a subversion of the character in Gunn’s version.

You can look no further than Gunn’s inspirations for his new film for proof. He has cited comic books such as All-Star Superman and Superman For All Seasons as touchstones for his superhero flick. Both present a more traditional Ma and Pa Kent, so that’s likely what we can expect from the movie.