Thanks to the marketing of “The Flash,” we know the film is actually set to bring back Michael Shannon as General Zod after the character was controversially killed at the end of “Man of Steel.” While it would seem obvious for an actor to want to return to a massive franchise to reprise a role, in Shannon’s case, he wasn’t so sure it was the right move. Thankfully, for Warner Bros. Discovery, the actor discussed the idea with Zack Snyder before turning it down.
In a new interview on the Bingeworthy podcast (full episode arriving soon), where he talked about his acclaimed performance in “George and Tammy,” Michael Shannon talked about his decision to return as Zod in the upcoming superhero film, “The Flash.” The actor admits he was “hesitant,” but it was “Man of Steel” filmmaker, Zack Snyder, who gave his blessing and opened the door for the villain to make his terrifying comeback in Andy Muschietti’s new film.
“I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn’t really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal,” said Shannon. “And I really love Zack. The fact that Zack asked me to play that part to begin with – that’s probably the biggest surprise of my career. It almost felt like a practical joke. I was like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?’”
He continued, “But I talked to Andy [Muschietti] about it, and I liked Andy, and I said, ‘Andy, look – I just want to get Zack’s blessing on this because it just doesn’t feel right without that.’ And Zack, to his credit, was very understanding. He gave me his blessing, and I went to do it. I loved Andy, too. I loved working with Andy. They’re both super creative guys. Andy’s an amazing artist. He would just make these drawings when I was sitting there talking to him. I’d look over and say, ‘Hey, can I keep that?’ and he’d go, ‘Sure!’ and sign it and give it to me.”
In addition to Snyder’s blessing, Shannon also was happy to know that this version of Zod isn’t really the same one that was in “Man of Steel.” Instead of his appearance in the new film somehow sullying the work he did in the Superman film, Zod serves a very different purpose in “The Flash.”
“But, you know, it’s just really different – these kind of multiverse situations,” said Shannon. “The story is a lot more all over the place, you know? And I feel like I mainly exist in ‘The Flash’ as, like, an obstacle or a problem. Whereas, in ‘Man of Steel,’ it was more of a story. Like, ‘The Flash’ is definitely about The Flash – as it should be. So, it’s not as in-depth.”
Fans of Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” are already excited by the prospect of seeing Michael Shannon return as Zod. As for how the villain factors into “The Flash,” we’ll have to wait and see when the film finally arrives in theaters on June 16. You can hear more from Shannon’s interview in the upcoming episode of Bingeworthy.
