Michael Shannon to play General Zod in Man of Steel

April 10, 2011 by | 5 Comments

michael shannon general zod ImageWarner Bros. today confirmed two things Superman fans have been waiting for. The first is that Zack Snyder’s reboot will be called Man of Steel, but the most important bit of news is that Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod.

Shannon received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and was most recently seen in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire.

On the casting Snyder stated, “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.”

General Zod is an evil and super-powered scientist who was portrayed by Terrence Stamp in 1980s Superman II. Wikipedia states he “possesses vast super strength, speed & stamina; various extra sensory and vision powers (including super hearing, x-ray vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, and heat vision); tremendous lung capacity and super breath (wind and ice); invulnerability, and flight.” The same powers as Superman, basically. It looks like we’ll see Superman engaged in a few big fights this time round.

As well as Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Man of Steel will also star Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

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  • Anonymous

    “General Zod is an evil and super-powered scientist who was portrayed by Terrence Stamp in 1980s Superman II.”

    That’s the problem Zod is very much a Donner Creation, the name came from a B level phantom zone Criminal in the comic books, but Ursa and Non his supporters were Movie-verse alone.

    I am disappointed.

    • Anonymous

      I agree. This is a reboot but yet we still live in the shadow of the Donner films as did Superman Returns. The movie version of the character is the only well known version. He’s definitely not the most formidable enemies unless you only look at the movies. Prior to the movie, the character was different and Donner’s version was so popular that when they brought the character back they changed him to be like the movie version.

      Since the movie version is the only popular interpretation of him, I can’t help but think this film will just be another ode to the Donner films.

      • Anonymous

        My main objection beside worrying if this is going to be a remake of Superman II is the narrative.

        Superheroes are heroic because it’s the right thing to do, not because the big bad is in some way related to them.

        Yet Hollywood in particular does this all the time, it doesn’t add to the story but detracts.

        If Superman hadn’t come to Earth then neither would Zod. The two are codependent. Burton did it with his Batman film with the Joker.

        It’s an over used trope.

        • Rebecca

          Agreed. Plus, it is BORING. The worst sin of all.

          It really feels like WB is just flailing all around, with no clue about how to make a Superman film.

  • Anonymous

    bizarro would’ve been a MUCH better villian. never used in a film, knows more about superman than he himself does, is a genius, and has all of supes powers.