German actress Antje Traue, who starred in the 2009 sci-fi thriller Pandorum, has been cast as the Kryptonian villain Faora in Man of Steel, Variety reports.

Deadline and Heat Vision both still describe her as the frontrunner for the role in director Zack Snyder's Superman reboot.

A DC Comics character on which Ursa -- the part originated by Sarah Douglas in 1978's Superman -- was based, Faora was introduced in Action Comics #471 as a beautiful Kryptonian with an intense and unexplained hatred for men that led her to torture and kill 23 of them. She was banished to the Phantom Zone, where she frequently plotted with Zod and the scientist Jax-Ur against Superman.

The female villain in Snyder's movie initially had been thought to be Ursa, but a report surfaced just two weeks ago that Faora is on deck. The role of Zod will, of course, be portrayed in Man of Steel by Boardwalk Empire actor Michael Shannon.

According to Deadline, the 30-year-old Traue has been looking for a major-studio role, and recently met with director Marc Forster about playing Brad Pitt's wife in World War Z. That part went to The Killing star Mireille Enos.

Man of Steel, which so far stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and Michael Shannon, will be released in December 2012. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Christopher Nolan.