Michael Shannon didn't find playing General Zod in The Flash 'satisfying', praises 'fascinating' Ezra Miller's performance
Michael Shannon wasn't too thrilled about reprising the role of General Zod in The Flash.
Shannon, who first played General Zod opposite Henry Cavill's Superman in 2013's Man of Steel, told Collider: "Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't quite satisfying for me, as an actor. These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures.
"It's like, 'Here's this person. Here's that person. And they're fighting!' It's not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt Man of Steel was."
The Knives Out star continued: "Whether people think that's crazy or not, I don't even care. I really felt like Man of Steel was actually a pretty sophisticated story. I feel like The Flash is too, but it's not Zod's story. I'm basically there to present a challenge.
"It's pretty crazy. I didn't ever think I would be an action figure. I never imagined that for myself. I can't take all the credit because the action figure isn't me. It's General Zod. That would be weird, if I actually had my own Michael Shannon action figure."
The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, has been hit by delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, production setbacks and a multitude of legal troubles for lead star Ezra Miller but Shannon thinks that Miller's performance makes the long wait worth it for fans.
He said: "Honestly to me, it's all about Ezra. I just think Ezra is a fascinating performer and actor. I can't wait to see this performance.
"I don't wanna give anything away, but what Ezra has to do in this movie is pretty crazy, and I think [they're] up for the task.
"I know a lot of times, with movies like this, people are excited about the big set pieces or the effects, but for me, it's always about performance. I don't care whether it's an Ingmar Bergman film or the Avengers. It's always about performance."
In April, Shannon revealed that he had reservations about reprising General Zod in The Flash out of his loyalty to Man of Steel director Zack Snyder.
“I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn’t really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal,” Shannon said on the Bingeworthy podcast. “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?’”
Snyder left Justice League while in post-production because of a family tragedy. The studio, Warner Brothers, felt his cut of the movie was too dark. Joss Whedon was roped in; he reshot parts of the movie and lightened the tone.
It was only four years later — thanks to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement —that Snyder was able to release his original vision on HBO Max (rebranded later as Max).
“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,’” Shannon continued.
“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.”
The Flash opens in cinemas on June 14.
— BANG SHOWBIZ
Photo: TPG News/Click Photos
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