Actor Jordan Elsass, who played Jonathan Kent on The CW‘s Superman & Lois, will not be returning for the upcoming third season, resulting in his role being recast.
According to Deadline, Elsass did not report back to work by the deadline given to the cast to reconvene in Vancouver, where the DC series films. As a result, Warner Bros. TV issued a statement, noting, “Jordan Elsass has notified the Studio that he will not be returning to Superman & Lois for season three due to personal reasons. The role of Jonathan Kent will be recast.”
Elsass has not yet commented on the situation, but according to Deadline sources, his departure may be related to “serious personal issues,” some of them “possibly related to mental health.” There are also conflicting reports over whether Elsass chose to leave the show or was let go.
In addition to his portrayal of Clark and Lois’ kind-hearted and athletic son, Elsass also played Jonathan “Jon”-El, Jonathan’s Bizarro counterpart who gains powers and becomes known publicly as Jon-El. The end of the second season also hinted at Jonathan gaining superhero powers in the upcoming third season.
“We’ll see if [Jonathan] gets his own suit, if he follows Nat’s lead, and how it all unfolds,” showrunner Todd Helbing told TVLine in June. “We definitely want to bring Jonathan into that superhero life more than he has been.”
Superman & Lois premiered on The CW on February 23, 2021, and stars Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent / Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as world-renowned journalist Lois Lane. Alexander Garfin also stars as Jonathan’s twin brother, Jordan Kent.
In addition to his work on Superman & Lois, Elsass has also starred in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere and the Amazon Prime Video teen drama Panic. He will next be seen in the TV movie Billy and the Bandit.
Superman & Lois, Season 3, 2023, The CW