Michael Shannon, who previously was “a little confused” to return as General Zod in The Flash, says he “wasn’t satisfied” with his character’s arc in the upcoming movie.
“Yeah. I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor,” Shannon told Collider in a new interview.
“These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures,” Shannon added. “It’s like, ‘Here’s this person. Here’s that person. And they’re fighting!’ It’s not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt Man of Steel was. Whether people think that’s crazy or not, I don’t even care. I really felt like Man of Steel was actually a pretty sophisticated story. I feel like The Flash is too, but it’s not Zod’s story. I’m basically there to present a challenge.
In the same interview, Shannon also talked about getting his own action figure.
It’s pretty crazy,” Shannon said. I didn’t ever think I would be an action figure. I never imagined that for myself. I can’t take all the credit because the action figure isn’t me. It’s General Zod. That would be weird, if I actually had my own Michael Shannon action figure.
Shannon was also very complimentary about the performance of his co-star Ezra Miller.
“Honestly, to me, it’s all about Ezra [Miller],” Shannon said. “I just think Ezra is a fascinating performer and actor. I can’t wait to see this performance. It’s a huge challenge. I don’t wanna give anything away, but what Ezra has to do in this movie is pretty crazy, and I think [they’re] up for the task. I know a lot of times, with movies like this, people are excited about the big set pieces or the effects, but for me, it’s always about performance. I don’t care whether it’s an Ingmar Bergman film or the Avengers. It’s always about performance.”
The Flash is a highly-anticipated superhero movie based on the DC Comics character of the same name, starring Ezra Miller as the titular character. The movie marks Miller’s fifth outing as The Flash on the big screen, following the actor’s appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League and the Peacemaker series on HBO Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery already has a script for a potential sequel to The Flash, written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the man behind the two Aquaman movies starring Jason Momoa. However, James Gunn and Peter Safran did not discuss the Flash sequel during their DC Universe presentation.
Who else is attached to the Flash movie?
Directed by Andy Muschietti from a script written by Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson, The Flash is inspired by the Flashpoint comic book storyline, which followed Barry Allen as he navigated an altered DC Universe. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Andy Kuber, Flashpoint radically altered the status of the DC Comics universe and led to the launch of the New 52 titles.
In addition to Ezra Miller, The Flash also features Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as two separate versions of Batman, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul and Sasha Calle as Supergirl. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso and Luke Brandon Field are also on board in undisclosed roles.
The Flash hits theaters this Friday on June 16.
