Mackenzie Gray won't be playing Lex Luthor in 'Man of Steel'

Zack Snyder's Man of Steel is only a few weeks away, and among the many mysteries surrounding it is just how much of an impact Lex Luthor will have in the story, or if he'll even be in it at all. A couple of months ago Smallville actor Mackenzie Gray revealed he had a secret role in the film, and considering his past playing a Luthor clone on the hit CW series, naturally that became the popular theory. AICN threw their considerable weight behind the idea, stating that Luthor would be a major character. While Gray does appear to be in the film, the latest info suggests it won't be as Luthor, but as another of Superman's foes.

According to Comicbook.com, Gray will be playing evil Kryptonian scientist Jax-Ur in the film, and this seems to have been confirmed by captions in the official Man of Steel art book. There are a couple of different versions of the character, but he's almost always portrayed as a colleague of General Zod and Faora, joining them in their fight against Superman. Jax-Ur also appeared in Smallville as Dax-Ur, the creator of the evil alien android, Brainiac.

This leaves open the question of whether we'll see Lex Luthor at all. And if so, who will play him? Christopher Nolan knows how to keep his secrets, and we won't know any definite answers until he's good and ready to tell us.  Man of Steel opens on June 14th.[via CBM]