Diane Lane is 'Martha Kent ' in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel

With Henry Cavill (The Tudors) cast as Superman/Clark Kent in director Zack Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel (working title), speculation about the rest of the cast is coming in faster than a green meteor shower.

Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike and Alice Eve have all been previously rumored to be in contention for the role of Kryptonian villain Ursa, and more recent speculation has contended that Viggo Mortensen and Daniel Day Lewis are in the running to play Ursa's leader, General Zod.

Today, however, an official announcement: Warner Bros. has revealed that Diane Lane has signed to play the part of Martha Kent. Kevin Costner has been rumored for the role of Jonathan Kent, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Lane was most recently seen in Secretariat, and won an Oscar for her performance in 2002′s Unfaithful.

Of the casting, Zack Snyder said:

“This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman. We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination.”

The Warner Bros film is slated for release in December 2012