'Superman' female lead 'may be a villain'

A recent report claims that the female lead that Zack Snyder is currently choosing for his Superman reboot is actually for the part of a female supervillain.

Earlier this week it was reported that Alice Eve, Diane Kruger and Rosamund Pike were the top three contenders for the film's female lead, which was presumed to be longtime Superman romantic interest Lois Lane.

However, according to Latino Review, the role that these three actresses are supposedly vying for is actually that of Kryptonian supervillain Ursa.

Ursa has appeared on screen before, played by Sarah Douglas during the Christopher Reeve film franchise in both Superman: The Movie and Superman II.

These rumours suggests that General Zod may be the film's primary villain after all, despite Snyder's previous claims to the contrary.

The film is due to begin production this summer for an expected release in late 2012.