General Zod Is The Villain In THE MAN OF STEEL, And He’s Been Cast

Warner Bros has announced that Michael Shannon has been cast in the new Superman movie, officially titled The Man of Steel, as General Zod. This is difficult news to process because on the one hand Michael Shannon is a great actor, but on  the other hand fucking Zod AGAIN?

There had been a lot of back and forth on this villain business for weeks. We had told you long ago that Zod was the bad guy, but there had been a recent run of rumors on fourth rate sites that there was no Zod. Warner Bros seems to have put that to rest with the following press release:

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Michael Shannon will star in the role of General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s new Superman film, titled “Man of Steel.”

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.”

As General Zod, Shannon will go toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman in the film. The main cast also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

Michael Shannon was honored with an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Shannon was most recently seen in the award-winning HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire,” from executive producer Martin Scorsese. He will next be seen in Sony Pictures Classics’, “Take Shelter,” from director/writer Jeff Nichols.

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

“Man of Steel” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Shannon’s a really great, powerful presence and I’m sure he’ll be great in the film. I’m just hoping this gives him more opportunities in the future, and not necessarily in big movies, which don’t deserve him. For whatever reason Shannon hasn’t been able to build up a particularly amazing filmography, even in the indie world, and I’d love to see that change.