Michael Shannon is set to reprise his role of General Zod in the upcoming film The Flash. This will mark his comeback in the DCEU franchise after first playing the villainous character in its very first film Man of Steel which was directed by Zach Snyder.
However, before joining the film, the Oscar-nominated actor was hesitant to be involved in the project as he revealed in a recent interview with the Bingeworthy podcast (via The Playlist). He admitted that he nabbed Snyder's approval first before he signed on to reprise his role of Zod in The Flash.
"I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn’t really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal," he said.
"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, director Andy Muschietti was supportive of Shannon's move to get Snyder's approval.
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."
The actor went on to praise Muschietti's work in the film as he end up having a wonderful time collaborating with the filmmaker.
"I loved Andy, too. I loved working with Andy. They’re both super creative guys. Andy’s an amazing artist," Shannon shared.
"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 was also delighted that the portrayal of General Zod in the upcoming film was different from in Man of Steel as it gave him more leeway to play the character in another way.
"But, you know, it’s just really different – these kind of multiverse situations. 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," he said.
"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"
At the end of the day, it sounds like Shannon was relieved and satisfied by how his DCEU return turned out and now it is one of the things that fans are looking forward to in the film.
It is now exciting to see how Zod will play into the story of the film and what the difference will be from his presence in Man of Steel, where he was the main antagonist.
Also Read: New The Flash Trailer Reveals More Action-Packed Look at Michael Keaton's Return as Batman
The Flash is set to release in theaters this June 16. You can check more details about it here.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!