Henry Cavill’s foe has been named, and it is Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) who will don the mantle of General Zod in the upcoming Superman reboot, which is now called Man of Steel. On the choice of casting Shannon, director Zack Snyder commented “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.” He continued with praise for Shannon. “Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”
I haven’t gotten around to seeing Revolutionary Road yet (yeah, I’m a bit behind), but friggin’ love “Boardwalk”. With Zod cast now, there’s no doubt it will give something for Superman to hit…and hard. Though, I don’t want this to become an overdone slugfest with just Superman in name. I think it’s interesting they took the Dark Knight route with the simple and mysterious Man of Steel title.
So what do you think, readers? Will you kneel before anticipation, or do you think it’s too soon for Zod?
April 10th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Zod has been overexposed — relatively speaking — in the comics the last couple of years (whichever version you’re talking about), but I’m optimistic about this. As the author said, this will give something for Superman to hit. With his fists.
April 10th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Here’s the important part to remember. For comic fans, we saw Zod less than a year ago. For movie goers, it’s been THIRTY years.
Storylines that are endless and repetitive to us are bright and new to the general public. If the second Captain America movie (or even the Avengers movie) was about the Sleepers being activated, fans would roll their eyes and moan “not again”, but the general public would say “Giant Nazi war robots? Where’s the ticket booth?”
They’re going with what works. Last time, they were talking about making Lex a Kryptonian and putting Superman in a neon Onesie. Which would you rather they be doing?
April 10th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I am disappointed that they’re going with Zod, only because he was done in Superman II, a movie I never cared for in the first place (although Terrance Stamp was pretty awesome). Zod’s been a regular presence in Superman books of late, and apparently on Smallville too (?), but I don’t think that matters for the movie.
I just wish that Nolan, Snyder & Co. were making a complete break from the Donner films and, just like Nolan’s first Batman movie, going with a villain(s) not previously used in a Supes movie. I’ve seen complaints on other sites that this is just going to be a retread of Superman II. I don’t believe that myself, but I have to wonder if that’s going to be the common perception.
Whatever. I completely trust Nolan to deliver the goods. It’s Snyder that gives me pause. His track record is not good, to say the least. I have no thoughts on the casting of Zod, since I don’t even know who this guy is. I’d have rather seen Brainiac or Darkseid though.
At least it appears that Luthor won’t emerge as the main baddie until at least the second film. That’s progress, I guess. For now, I’ll keep an optimistic outlook for this one.
April 10th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
zod? snore. Braniac, parasite, metallo are all available — but no, we gotta stay true to the original films for some reason. You know you’re in trouble when the 1st idea out of the gate is the evil doppelganger (zod being from krypton, so basically bad-superman qualifies him imo).
April 11th, 2011 at 6:26 am
@Deco – you hit the nail on the head. What’s the laziest superhero movie template to write? The Evil Doppleganger storyline. Iron Man had the Iron Monger, The Hulk had The Abomination. For me, Downey and Paltrow elevated a good movie to a really good movie, but even Ed Norton couldn’t save The Incredible Hulk from mediocrity.
April 11th, 2011 at 6:29 am
Zod’s ace. I’m there, although I would have been there if Mr. Mxzypytlck(?) was announced.
April 11th, 2011 at 6:38 am
I like the title.
Otherwise…every time I have expressed my reservations about Snyder or the film, I have been asked to calm down. So I will do just that. I have my doubts about the whole thing but will reserve judgment for now.
April 11th, 2011 at 6:39 am
The problem is…almost all of Superman’s primary villains are arguable as evil dopplegangers. Zod, kryptonian by evil. Bizarro, appears just like Superman, but Evil. Metallo, Superman level strength…but powered by his greatest weakness, Parasite, can sap his powers away and make them his own, Braniac, evil alien with intellect beyond Superman and formidable strength. They are all, in a way, just evil doppelgangers of Superman.
That said, I don’t see why everyone is complaining about Zod, he hasn’t been used in over 30 years in the movies, and honestly, what’s happening in the comics isn’t taken into consideration. If Grant Morrison was using the hell out of the Joker when Dark Knight came out, I doubt Nolan would have changed his plans.
We all wanted Superman to fight someone, and he will, and I’m going to enjoy it.
April 11th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Shannon is great in Boardwalk Empire and I saw him in a one man play Off Broadway last year, where he was nothing short of brilliant.
He is an amazing actor and I’m sure will do a tremendous job.
April 11th, 2011 at 6:57 am
I love Zod. Superman II is one of my all time favorite movies. However I was really hoping for Brainiac.
April 11th, 2011 at 7:10 am
Just to be clear, according to the press release the title of this movie is “Man of Steal”. It’s not “Superman: Man of Steel” or “The Man of Steel”.
April 11th, 2011 at 7:12 am
I hope this means Lex Luthor isn’t the villain. Since Luthor has been in every Supes film made – this would be a significant departure from the rest.
On the other hand, having watched Sucker Punch last weekend….I’m really beginning to worry with Synder being in charge.
April 11th, 2011 at 7:27 am
You guys are all right! How can they use Zod again? I mean how many times is Hollywood going to go back to the well? The Dark Knight used The Joker, who had already been used. Transformers used Megatron – we was already used in the animated movie! And Captain America is going to fight the Nazis? Who hasn’t fought the Nazis in a movie? I’ll be fighting Nazis in a movie later this afternoon. This movie will tank.
April 11th, 2011 at 7:36 am
OK. I like this choice for the General. I would have preferred Terence Stamp, though. Maybe he’ll get the Jor-El gig?
April 11th, 2011 at 7:52 am
I wish they’d make some movies based on Amalgam titles. Fantasy Cast by breeding actors! (Easiest example: Secret love child of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman plays Dark Claw. The kids call him Soup-spoon, and he’s the real twist in “The Prestige”
April 11th, 2011 at 8:06 am
could be worse they could use doomsday
anyways ZOD is nothing like superman so that be different beside no one was bitching when Nolan use Joker and Two face
April 11th, 2011 at 8:18 am
I am very happy that the villain is Zod. It is not a lazy choice – Zod will be challenging to do well, but it will be worth it. Zod is also not overdone – it’s been 3 decades, for crying out loud! Comics don’t count, folks.
If you want to talk about an overused villain, look no farther than Lex Luthor. Not only has he been used in every Supes film, Lex also doesn’t translate into an exciting villain onscreen. Supes needs someone to battle against mentally as well as PHYSICALLY. Otherwise, it’s 2 hours of talking, flying around, kryptonite and nothing else. Thank god for Zod.
April 11th, 2011 at 8:28 am
I doubt that they will use Zod in the same way as done 30 years ago so I’m looking forward to how they potrat him.
April 11th, 2011 at 8:43 am
Just PLEASE make it feel new but still smart. It worked for Star Trek
April 11th, 2011 at 9:20 am
I’m cool with all the actors, but worried about Snyder. Seriously…the guy is ADDICTED to slow motion. I watched Sucker Punch and it was visually beautiful but I was actually laughing out loud by the halfway point because EVERY time the action started he switched to slow motion.
I do NOT want to see Superman in a slo-mo fight. I want it fast and kinetic.
April 11th, 2011 at 10:16 am
That guy doesn’t look evil in any way at all.
They should have chosen someone a bit more scruffy.
April 11th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Look, Zod is one villian I love if portrayed in the right way, and with the news of Michael Shannon coming on and in him I have no doubt about this. Any doubt, check the Friedkin’s BUG. The guy turn the movie on fire. Ah…one more thing, if the script is good I can see some slowmo action scenes. I prefer that to the scene of SR when Supes can’t catch a plain while previously there is a scene where a reporter says that Supes moves almost at light speed.
I support this. And I support Shannon, T5.
April 11th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
“The Dark Knight used The Joker, who had already been used.”
Except, The Dark Knight wasn’t the reboot, Batman Begins was. After Nolan proved what he was doing with Batman Begins, only then did he bring back an already used-in-a-movie villain.
This new Supes film, like Batman Begins, should go with a villain who hasn’t been seen on screen before to let audiences see something entirely new. Otherwise, people are going to just draw comparisons, much like they did with Superman Returns and Hackman’s Luthor.
April 11th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
The only way this will work is if they have Doomsday and Zod. They really need to stretch out and give us something different, like the Dark Knight stuff.
April 11th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Talk about originality…who gets the Richard Pryor part when they make the third of these?
April 12th, 2011 at 8:12 am
I’m a bit torn because although i have no problem with him and Zod in general as a character, I’d rather they try to do something different using lesser known characters. Superman has over 50 villains, why not pick some and revamp them the same way they did in batman begins, smallville and young justice. Look, I get that Superman’s villains are a little stupid sounding/looking and they might not translate to the screen well but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be redeemed by being revamped for the screen.
Actually i think that all villians are in a way a evil doppelganger of the hero they fight against for example all of Spiderman’s villians are people who have been given great power by accident or design like him but have chosen a more selfish and darker path.
April 12th, 2011 at 9:54 am
He looks more JAWS from that James Bond movie…
April 12th, 2011 at 9:56 am
He looks more like JAWS from that James Bond movie…
April 12th, 2011 at 10:03 am
I have no idea what everyone is complaining about I have seen this guy’s work and it is amazing, he will bring the perfect level of malice and barely concealed madness to zod we are looking at a heath ledger level performance.
April 12th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
“Come to me, Son of Jor-El…kneel before ZOD!”
I love me some Terrence Stamp.
He will always be the one true General (Zod) to me.
May 19th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I can’t believe that the argument everyone is having is about the villain. Why isn’t the question, why isn’t Brandon Routh Superman? I think he was a great Superman and Clark Kent. He reminded me of Christopher Reeve. In my opinion the people who will see this movie or want to see it won’t know who the actor playing Superman is. I wish the movie studio would reconsider. I know that those making the movie won’t even read this but that’s my opinion. BRING BACK BRANDON ROUTH YOU IDIOTS.
May 26th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
My main concern is to not see another Neo vs. Smith aerial battle. I’ve got confidence in Snyder’s ability to make fighting actually mean something on the screen. Not to say the third Matrix was bad necessarily I just want to see Snyder’s take on the whole thing. He’s got a great understanding of the Hero’s Journey/Myth.