Just a few days ago word got out that Viggo Mortensen is the front runner to star in Warner Bros.' reboot, Superman: Man of Steel, as the villainous General Zod, despite director Zack Snyder's previous claims that the Zod talk is "just wrong" and "the Internet has no idea what's going on." To be fair to Snyder though, that may well have been the case last November.

Now it looks as though Henry Cavill as Superman will indeed do battle with the rogue Kryptonian Zod in Man of Steel, and Mortensen may have competition for the role in the form of another acclaimed thespian - namely, multiple Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis.

While expressing its immediate disapproval of Zod's inclusion in Snyder's reboot of the Superman franchise, Moviehole's "The West Hollywood Resnorter" mentioned that it heard Warner Bros. is considering Lewis for "an unspecified role in this film." Given Lewis' pedigree as an actor - and assuming this RUMOR has any truth to it - the part of Zod seems like the obvious choice.

Recall that while Mortensen is reportedly the top contender to star in Snow White and the Huntsman, he's not yet locked down for that project. Similarly, Lewis is onboard to play Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's biopic, but it's not clear whether that feature will actually begin filming this fall as originally forecast - especially since Spielberg still has post-production duties to complete on both Tintin and War Horse, and last October he became committed to Robopocalypse as his next directorial effort.

Here's the short of it: Snyder's Man of Steel aims to begin production this year so it can reach theaters by December of 2012, and both Mortensen and Lewis seem to have enough room in their respective schedules to sign on as Zod.

Both Mortensen and Lewis are arguably powerhouse actors who have rarely (if ever) given subpar performances, even when appearing in less than stellar films themselves. The two have also both portrayed regal figures before and posses the proper physicality for a character like Zod. So which one is truly the better fit to tackle the role?

I'd have to say, for me personally, that Lewis has the edge over Mortensen, in this situation. Not only was he (for lack of a better description) fiercely riveting as the larger-than-life antihero in both Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood, Lewis is just one of those actors who always holds my attention when he appears on screen. Mortensen is solid, no doubt, and he could make for a compelling Zod as well, but the idea of Lewis in this kind of villainous role is too tempting for me to say no to - kind of like when he was rumored to play Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes sequel.

Daniel Day Lewis Bill the Butcher Lincoln

Would Lewis be interested in a Hollywood tentpole pic like Man of Steel? He's well known for being very selective about what projects he signs on for, but the chance to work on a movie that was overseen by the likes of Christopher Nolan could be enough to tempt Lewis to seriously consider signing on for a Superman flick. That's assuming this RUMOR is legit - and that's always a tricky proposition, isn't it?

What do you think? Would you rather see Mortensen or Lewis as Zod in Superman: Man of Steel?

[poll id="127"]

Source: Moviehole