Superman & Lois star Alex Garfin debunks the rumors that the new Jonathan Kent has already been cast. 2022 became a strange year for The CW and its DC TV franchise as the Arrowverse trend is winding down. With Nexstar set to be the new major owner of The CW network, with 75% ownership, the network revealed massive changes to its slate. While The CW is famously known for renewing the majority of its shows, this year has been a different story. Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, and Naomi were 3 DC TV shows that got canceled, alongside other dramas.
Nevertheless, The CW still has a handful of Arrowverse shows left on the slate, including Superman & Lois, which will be back for season 3. However, Superman & Lois season 3 will deal with a huge change that came as a surprise to many. In mid-August, it was announced that Superman & Lois star Jordan Elsass, who has portrayed Jonathan Kent since season 1, has exited the series for personal reasons. Speculation that the show has already recast his role arose earlier this week. Fans noticed that actor Julian Daniel Rees was followed by both the official Superman & Lois Instagram and Elsass’ co-star Garfin, who plays Jordan Kent. It was then assumed Rees will be the next Jonathan.
As the rumor took on a life of its own, Garfin broke his silence on Twitter to debunk the theory. Rees has not been tapped as Superman & Lois’ new Jonathan. Per Garfin, Rees is one of his best friends from high school and is also an actor. The reason for Superman & Lois‘ Instagram account following Rees was due to Garfin having done a takeover for social media one day, and Rees had direct messaged him a meme. Garfin had simply forgotten to unfollow Rees after that takeover, confirming that there was no accuracy to the rumor.
This sort of misunderstanding isn’t uncommon, especially in the superhero genre when fans are constantly trying to figure out who is being cast for what role. Had it not been for the fact that the Superman & Lois Instagram account was following Rees, just basing it on Garfin following him would be a big stretch. Superman & Lois season 3 isn’t set to start filming in Vancouver, Canada, until early September, meaning they still have time to find a new actor to take over for Elsass as Jonathan.
Time will tell who will play Superman & Lois’ new Jonathan in season 3. In fact, it is always possible that if they haven’t tapped the new actor before production starts that Jonathan may be written out of the first few episodes in Superman & Lois season 3. While Jonathan is a series regular character, he’s not one of the titular characters, meaning Superman & Lois could easily find a story reason for why he may be out of the picture for a few installments. Since Superman & Lois set up Intergang as a big season 3 focus, having Jonathan missing for an episode or two may be helpful as they flesh out their new villain and also take the proper time needed to recast the role.
