This summer, Michael Shannon will return to the DC Extended Universe as General Zod in The Flash almost ten years to the day after the villain’s first appearance — and controversial death— in 2013’s Man of Steel. Whether or not Sasha Calle’s Supergirl will be the one to defeat him this time remains to be seen. Regardless, Shannon initially had doubts about revisiting the franchise with someone other than Zack Snyder guiding the ship. And while appearing on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast, Shannon shared how it was important to get the Man of Steel director’s approval before signing on.
“I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn’t really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal,” admitted 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?’”
Fortunately, Snyder was supportive and The Flash helmer Andy Muschietti completely understood where Shannon was coming from.
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“I talked to Andy 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,’” continued Shannon. “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.”
Shannon went on to reiterate that the version of Zod who appears in The Flash isn’t the same one who menaced Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent in Man of Steel. He also hinted that the new film won’t take as deep of a dive into the villain’s motivations.
“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.”
The Flash will hit theaters on June 16.
Are you happy that Snyder gave Shannon the go-ahead to reprise his role as Zod? Let us know in the comment section below!
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