Michael Shannon says return to role of Zod was ‘not satisfying’, praises ‘The Flash’ co-star Ezra Miller

Michael Shannon has been candid recently about how it feels to come back to him Man of Steel role of General Zod in the upcoming film The flash.

Shannon stars alongside Ezra Miller in the multiverse film which also sees the return of Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmans, and Sasha Calle as Supergirl.

“I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t entirely satisfying for me, as an actor,” said Shannon Collider From reprising the role. “These multiverse movies are like someone playing with action figures. It’s like, ‘Here’s this person. Here is that person. And they’re fighting!’”

He continued, “It’s not quite the in-depth character study situation that I’ve honestly felt Man of Steel era. Whether people think it’s crazy or not, I don’t even care. I really felt like Man of Steel it was actually quite a sophisticated story. I feel like The flash it is too, but it’s not the story of Zod. Basically they are there to present a challenge.

Elsewhere in the interview, the George and Tammy the actor praised Miller when asked what he was most looking forward to for audiences in the DC film, explaining that the actor’s performance is “fascinating”.

“I can’t wait to see this performance. It’s a big challenge,” Shannon explained. “I don’t want to give anything away, but what Ezra has to do in this movie is pretty crazy, and I think they (they) are up to the job. I know a lot of times with movies like this that people get excited about the big sets or the effects, but for me it’s always about the performance.”

The flash was screened in full for the first time at CinemaCon in April, where Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav proclaimed it was “the best superhero movie” he had ever seen. Before the screening, DC Studios co-head Peter Safran and director Andy Muschietti also sang Miller’s praises.

“I found that they are an incredible comedian and they also (handled) all the action needed for a great show like this,” said the director. “They wanted to do all the stunts and I let them.”

Despite positive early reactions to the film, it has been plagued by controversy surrounding Miller, who was the subject of a string of bad headlines last year, including allegations of harassment and burglary, as well as assault and abuse charges.

In August 2022, Miller released a statement apologizing for their behavior and citing “complex mental health issues,” for which they entered treatment. “I want to apologize to everyone for alarming and shocking my past behavior,” the statement read. “I am committed to doing the work necessary to return to a healthy, safe and productive stage of my life.”

The flash hits theaters June 16.