There's been plenty of discussion about Batman vs. Superman - officially known as the Man of Steel sequel and/or Zack Snyder's Untitled Superman/Batman film right now - in recent months, following the casting announcement of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. However, with no additional confirmed details or casting on the project since then, that discussion that begun to run in circles, with regard to arguments over Ben Affleck playing Batman, Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman, David S. Goyer's original script, and so forth.

Today, though, we can provide some new official casting news, instead of just continuing to stir the pot. Warner Bros. has confirmed three additions to the Batman vs. Superman cast, in the forms of Oscar-winner Holly Hunter, along with lesser-knowns Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto. Hunter is new to the world of mainstream comic book adaptations, though many know her as the voice of Elastigirl from Pixar's animated superhero feature The Incredibles (as well as her many film roles and work on the TV show Saving Grace).

Mulvey, by comparison, played Greek warrior Scyllias in last month's 300: Rise of an Empire (which Snyder co-wrote and produced), and portrays the character Jack Rollins in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the latest Marvel Studios release, while Okamoto was Hugh Jackman's costar/sort-love interest Mariko in the most recent X-Men film to hit theaters, The Wolverine. Here is Snyder's official statement, with regard to these new cast additions to his upcoming DC superhero feature:

“Holly has always been one of my favorite actresses; she has immense talent and is always captivating on screen.  I had an opportunity to meet her a while back and knew instantly that I had to work with her, so as we began writing the script I made sure to create a role specifically for her.

“I just had the good fortune to work with Callan on ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ and was very impressed with his incredible talent,” the director continued.  “He’s a fantastic actor and I’m looking forward to having the chance to work with him again.  And, quite simply, Tao is a striking presence whose beauty is aptly rivaled by her amazing abilities as an actress.  I’m really excited to have her joining us on this adventure.”

Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto join Batman vs. Superman cast
Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto

Now, before anyone starts weaving elaborate theories about who these three people will be playing in Snyder's next project, it needs to be mentioned that WB's press release specifically states that their characters were all "newly created for the film." Not that this will - or even necessarily should - prevent fans from considering the possibility that one or more of these new Batman vs. Superman characters will have a secret identity.

That said, it's highly doubtful that such is the case. There have been situations like that in past DC movies - see when Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard were cast as "new characters" for The Dark Knight Rises - but, in those instances, the star power of the actors brought onboard was a giveaway that something fishy was going on. Mulvey and Okamato, while they've done fine in supporting roles, are not in the midst of a boom in popularity (yet), while Hunter seems more likely a fit for a down-to-earth role (though, you never know...).

Regardless, these casting additions do nothing if not stoke our interest in finding out just what exactly Snyder is cooking up for Batman vs. Superman, especially now that Goyer's initial script draft is getting a rewrite by Oscar-winning screenwriter Chris Terrio (Argo). Feel free to speculate about the latest cast additions as you like, in the comments section.

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Batman vs. Superman is currently scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on May 6th, 2016.