Michael Shannon's General Zod will face Superman in 'Man of Steel'
Oscar nominee and 'Boardwalk Empire' co-star will face off with Henry Cavill
Michael Shannon
Credit: AP
Another weekend, another piece of "Man of Steel" casting news, this one revealing the Oscar nominated actor who will play the main villain in the Superman film.
Warner Brothers Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced on Sunday (April 10) that Michael Shannon has signed on to play General Zod in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel."
Shannon joins previously announced stars Henry Cavill as Superman (and Clark Kent), Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.
"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," Snyder states in the official release. "Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."
Created as the power-hungry head of Krypton's military forces, General Zod was previously played by Terence Stamp in 1978's "Superman" and, in a more significant role, in 1980's "Superman II." The character was later played by Callum Blue on "Smallville."
Shannon earned an Oscar nomination for his work in "Revolutionary Road" and followed that up with well regarded turns in films like "The Runaways" and as a regular on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." Shannon's work in the Sundance favorite "Take Shelter" is alway stirring up awards buzz.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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April 10, 2011 at 8:02PM EST Reply to CommentSo we've got a General Zod confirmation now. Good to hear. Michael Shannon was downright creepy on Boardwalk Empire. He actually reminded me a lot of Ray Liotta.
So Superman casting is shaping up nicely. This is one of my most anticipated projects.
Shawn
April 10, 2011 at 8:04PM EST Reply to CommentUgh, Zod. What a terrible choice for a villain.
"Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies..."
Maybe in the Donner film, but he's a complete non-entity in the comics. There are tons of better villains to choose from, but we're going back to Zod because...why?
..."but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t."
Huh? Why, because they're from the same planet? Zod is only important/significant/whatever to people that have never read a Superman comic, ever.
When your movie is cribbing from Smallville, you know you're in trouble.
supermeh Hey now, Smallville is doing better than the comic books. Don't even talk to me about "Grounded" or the wasted year "New Krypton" and "War of-people-who-shouldn't-exist".
April 10, 2011 at 10:48PM ESTBut yeah, Zod is a just a boring idea.
megan
April 10, 2011 at 10:41PM EST Reply to CommentCinema Blend does a good job of talking about how stupid this whole thing is.
Jordo
April 11, 2011 at 12:13AM EST Reply to CommentTerrific casting, but the jury is out on Zod being the villain. Personally, I'd prefer Shannon as Brainiac, but I'm overall loving the casting decisions so far.