Just last week, we brought you the news that Kevin Costner (The Company Men, A Little War of Our Own) was being eyed for an undisclosed, key role in director Zack Snyder‘s forthcoming Superman reboot. While his role in the film has yet to be officially confirmed, the actor is rumored to be sought for the role of  Jonathan Kent, adoptive Father of Clark Kent/Superman.

Now, THR reports that Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) is at the top of Warner Bros. list to portray the villainous ‘General Zod’ in the hotly anticipated reboot being produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises). Zod made his first appearance in 1961’s Adventure Comics #283 as a Superboy villain, the character was portrayed by Terence Stamp in Superman: The Movie and Superman II, and appeared as a younger, Major Zod portrayed by Callum Blue in The CW television series Smallville.

I suppose, despite Snyder’s earlier denials that Zod would be the villain in the film, this would lend more credibility to that fact, as well as earlier rumors that one of the female roles being angled for by the likes of Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League, The Raven) and Rosamund Pike (Johnny English Reborn, Die Another Day) is in fact, that of Ursa, co-conspirator and accomplice of General Zod.

We reported last month that Mortensen was in talks with Universal Pictures to star as ‘The Huntsman’ in director Rupert Sanders (The Low Dweller) forthcoming take on the Snow White fairy tale written by Evan Daugherty (Rusty Forkblade, Shrapnel), entitled Snow White and the Huntsman. If the actor doesn’t sign the deal to play The Huntsman, he would be free to take on the role of Zod, though Universal and Warner Bros. could work out their schedules to enable him to take on both roles.

Superman (aka Superman: Man of Steel) is slated to hit theaters in 2012.