Syfy’s Superman prequel Krypton has cast its lead.
Newcomer Cameron Cuffe will play Superman’s grandfather in the drama pilot from David S. Goyer, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The project is set two generations before the destruction of the legendary Man of Steel’s home planet. Krypton will follow Superman’s grandfather — whose House of El was ostracized and shamed — as he fights to redeem his family’s honor and save his beloved world from chaos.
Here’s how Cuffe’s character is described: Destined to be the ancestor of Jor-El (future father of Superman) and Kal-El (the future Superman), Seg-El is the scion of the once-prosperous El family and is blessed with an intuitive brilliance for all things technical; he is now living in Krypton’s lowest caste after his family was stripped of its rank.
Born in London, Cuffe is a graduate of the Lir Academy (Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art) in Dublin. His credits include the Park Theatre’s The Vertical Hour and the Donmar Warehouse’s City of Angels. He most recently appeared in the Stephen Frears-directed feature Florence Foster Jenkins and has a recurring role in ITV’s upcoming drama The Halcyon. Cuffe is repped by Gersh, Untitled and the Artists Partnership.
Goyer (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice) will executive produce the drama through his Phantom Four banner. Sleepy Hollow‘s Damian Kindler also will exec produce as well as serve as showrunner. Colm McCarthy will direct and co-exec produce the pilot. Goyer and Ian Goldberg (Once Upon a Time) will pen the script for the Warner Horizon Television project that is based on DC Comics characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Cuffe joins a cast that also includes British actress Georgina Campbell, who will play Lyta Zod, a member of Krypton’s military caste and the daughter of a general, Alura Zod. Lyta Zod serves as a cadet — and has also been having a clandestine, forbidden romance with Seg-El (Cuffe).
