By On Sunday, Michael Shannon was announced as cast to play the role of General Zod in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel. This comes on the heels of a lot of reports and rumors over the past few months, putting the villains at anything from a return to Lex Luthor to General Sam Lane and Metallo. Indeed, Zod was hinted at off and on throughout this process, but this was always squashed, likely to misdirect all us little people. Zack Snyder had this to say on the character, and on Michael Shannon: “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t…Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”
While I’m not sold at all on Snyder’s ability to do Superman justice, I’m very psyched at the notion of Shannon as Zod. Anyone who’s seen Boardwalk Empire knows the man has chops. I’ve been a huge fan since I saw him in the New York production of the Tracy Letts play, Bug. He’s an exceptionally intense, talented actor, and I look forward to seeing what he can do with the probably-crappy material and director Snyder will offer.
Also, news outlets carrying this story keep calling it news that the movie is going to be called Man of Steel. This was new news months ago. It’s just a statement of facts now.
[Via Total Film]