Michael Shannon Was Hesitant About Playing Zod Again in THE FLASH, But Zack Snyder Gave Him His Blessing
Michael Shannon is back as General Zod in director Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, which ended up being a great DC movie! It’s easily the best DC movie that’s been made in a very long time. Some are even calling it one of the best superhero films ever made.
It was really cool and interesting to see Shannon back in the role of Zod, but the actor was hesitant about playing this character again. But, when Snyder gave the actor his blessing, he decided to jump in and do it. During a recent interview with The Playlist, Shannon said:
"I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn't really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal. 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?'
"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."
In a previous interview, Shannon talked about reprising his role and how it was confusing for him. He shared:
"I was a little confused. I said, 'As memory serves me, I think I died in Man of Steel. Are they sure they got the right guy?' But then they explained to me the whole multiverse phenomenon, which ... I was a little behind the times on that."
While he didn’t really understand what was going on, it was awesome having him back. It was so much fun watching his battle against The Flash, Batman, and Supergirl!
In the film, "Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian... albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?"
Shannon is joined in the film by co-stars Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Ben Affleck, and Michael Keaton. The Flash speeds into theaters on June 16th, 2023.