Turns out that kneeling-obsessed kook Zod traveled to Earth with some iconic cargo.
Sources confirm to me exclusively that Smallville has cast Julian Sands (24, Warlock, a million other things) to play a young Jor-El. He’ll make his debut in the November episode “Kandor” when it’s revealed that he arrived with Zod and the other Kandorians.
Save for a brief appearance as a vision in season 3, Jor-El has been heard but never seen on Smallville (Terrence Stamp does the voiceover honors). As of now, Sands is locked in for one episode.
Smallville’s ninth season kicks off Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 pm — that’s two weeks from tonight for those who don’t have a calendar handy.
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I thought I was misreading this for a minute. TW already played young Jorel in S3. Julian Sands doesn’t look like TW.
I don’t understand why they would do this? It blows continuity for no good reason.
Great news, I’m definitely looking forward to a Jor-El/Zod confrontation!
LOVE Sands! Hopefully they’ll get him for some more episodes. Great news!
Is this a non speaking flashback or something? Confused.
Whatever, I don’t expect much from Smallville anymore.
you don’t expect much from smallville anymore? have you SEEN the preview…?
Yep, same here. This show isn’t even faithful to its own continuity. Stopped taking seriously several seasons ago.
What a trainwreck, lol
When they brought Lara onto the show, it was a steaming mess. I’m not thrilled with this idea. And the casting makes no sense. Sands is 51 years old… “Young Jor-El”? Clark was a baby when he was shipped off. Jor-El shouldn’t be all that much older than Clark is now! Unless Jor-El was Krypton’s version of Larry King.
I’ve been laughing at this comment for an hour!
LOL best way ever to describe it. Like Julian Sands but really…younger? I’m sure he looks even older now than he does in that photo.
Thanks for the scoop.
@Chlark Fan: I agree. Also in “Blue” when Lara first saw Clark she asked if he was Jor-El. Continuity!
“Sands is 51 years old” >> When I saw Sands pic, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Good to see that they aren’t.
Why don’t they just get TW to play Jor-El, like he did in Relic? And isn’t Julian Sands a little…well, ‘old’ to play a young Jor-EL?
*iz perplexed*
From Dee:
“Why don’t they just get TW to play Jor-El, like he did in Relic? And isn’t Julian Sands a little…well, ‘old’ to play a young Jor-EL?”
I agree, especially if it’s just for one episode.
I’m trying really hard to reserve my judgment on this because one thing that Smallville consistently does very well with is casting guest actors. But this kind of dissapoints me. I think a lot of fans were hoping that Tom Welling would play his father since we have been told over and over that they look alike. Why the hell is Jor-El so freaking old? So he was 51 years old when he had Kal-El? Lara was portrayed as so much more youthful than him. And honestly, shouldn’t he be really really good looking? Clark is drop dead gorgeous. The guy that plays his Dad should be good looking.
Yes, you’re right. I have to admit one of the reasons I began watching this show in the first place were all the hot men! Even the older ones were hot (yes I’m thinking about the senior Mr. Kent. yum) What kind of kool-aid are they drinking this year? Maybe they came up with this idea as they were drinking over the Friday night oblivion sorrows.
I think this casting choice might be a big big hint that TOm Welling is directing the 9th episode, “Pandora.” Episode, 8, “Idol” was already filmed early and out of order. And now that he’s not playing Jor-El, I would put money on the fact that Tom is going to direct the mid-season cliffhanger with Lois in the future. He’s hoping he gets over his aversion to taking his clothes off because I expect to see skin in the Clark and Lois reveal sex scene in “Pandora.” haha.
I appreciate the scoop, but you should’ve put a spoiler warning in there. You totally gave something away…Guys, isn’t Jor-El supposed to be an older man when Clark is born? The version of him that TW played in “Relic” was a very young Jor-El. I’m thinking this guy is supposed to be in between the age of the Jor-El that put Clark in the spaceship and the Jor-El that came to Earth the 1st time.
Jor-El!!!!
Okay, who cares if Tom Welling isn’t playing his father?? I actually hate it when they have characters play their parents because it feels like a copout and it really is ridiculous.
On another note this story has me excited!!! The more spoilers I find out from Smallville the better season 9 is looking from where I’m standing. Jor-El and Zod confrontation is a must, I just hope it’s better than the Doomsday fight they gave us.
Kneel before ZODD!!!
Julian Sands is going to play a “young” Jor-El? I hate to think who they’d get to play an “adult” Jor-El. Wilford Brimley?
heehee
The old Jor-El that’s usually portrayed is like the really old Kents that are usually portrayed. On Smallville, they made the right decision to portray Jonathan and Martha as realistic parents of a teenage boy, as opposed to the grandparents who took him in. It made more sense, and made them more relatable as his parents. Grandpa Jor-El is usually portrayed because they want him to be this wise, noble Brando character, but it’s a bad representation in my opinion. It doesn’t reflect the life that was stolen from them and their child by the destruction of their planet. A younger Jor-El also makes more sense in that he wasn’t taken seriously when he tried to warn the Kryptonians about their planet’s demise. People need to ditch what Donner put in his bad Superman movies and start thinking in terms of the story they’re trying to tell right now. A 51 year old “young Jor-El” up against a 32 year old “young Zod” is lame… of course, all of this is in my opinion. As cool as it was to have Helen Slater on the show, I thought the same thing about her playing Lara (who was a bad character for the show anyway)
No no, the first two Superman movies were great! It’s only the later slides into camp that were bad (yes, I’m thinking Richard Pryor). At the time, Terence Stamp played a really kick-ass punk villain. I wouldn’t mind if they imported that kind of Donner atmosphere.
I hated the movies. The comic relief Lex Luthor was a horrible villain. The plots were campy. I always think of them like the 1960’s Batman series, except people still take the Superman movies seriously and that ends up ruining some potentially good modern stories.
A Jor-El vs. Zod confrontation is expected…
How can he play a young Jor-El whom supposedly has always looked like Tom Welling? It’s bad enough that Zod doesn’t look like Sam Witwer like they set up just last year; but then account the age difference and… what in the world, SV? Why do they have to be ‘young’ anyway – especially when casting people who aren’t at all.
Julian Sands is 51. Not exactly “young”.
51 isn’t exactly at death’s door either. No one’s 20 forever.
Jor-El is to young as a goldfish is to concrete.
This makes no sense, but thank you for the information.
Dumb question, but wtf is a Kandorian?
Excited for the new season, in any case.
Kandor is a city from Krypton which managed to survive the destruction of the planet by becoming a city in a bottle. It was shrunken down and, actually, kept by Brainiac.
Kandorians are krytonians whose city and they were shranked to the size of a model and trapped in a jar by the villian Brainiac. Why Jor-El is in said bottle is beyond me.
THEY SHOULD HAVE ASKED RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON OR TOM SELLECK TO PLAY JOR-EL. TOM SELLECK WOULD HAVE BEEN A REAL PRIZE, SO GOOD LOOKING, AND VERY TALL LIKE CLARK.
I LOVE THIS. Julian Sands was AWESOME in WARLOCK and he’s going to make for an incredible Jor-El. Jor-El is on EARTH!!!
Great actor! Can’t wait to watch it!
I actually think this guy does look a bit like an older Tom Welling. More importantly, he’s a talented actor. I’d rather have someone really good playing this iconic role as opposed to someone who just looks a lot like TW, anyway.
So happy. Now can bring back zorel again.
So, in other words Smallville producers are completely crapping on Superman mythology once again.
Word.
I really hope this is the last season. These people just aren’t capable enough.
I hope Smallville lasts for several more seasons. Why are people who don’t like/watch the show even commenting on it?
Young and probably blond Jor-El??!!! WTF…Thanks for the info Ausiello I will have a lot of free time on friday nights