General Zod in Man of Steel is a different character, visually, from past comic book iterations of the character. Trailers, posters and promo art confirm a more emotive look to the Kryptonian general but the anger is still there. Speaking to The Huffington Post, actor Michael Shannon confirmed that Man of Steel has been a long process, [Man of Steel's] a big buildup. I'll tell you, I saw it last Monday -- it's worth it. It's going to blow everybody's socks off. And I know [WB's] probably pissed off, like I'm jinxing it or something and I shouldn't say that. I'll knock on wood just out of deference to the gods, but the movie is solid. It's gonna get the job done."
Reflecting on his time on set and in a motion-capture suit, Shannon admitted he was a little concerned, not being able to see the finished visuals immediately during playbacks but director Zack Snyder simply asked Shannon to trust him. Said Shannon, "It's exhilarating. It's what Zack [Snyder] promised would happen, you know? Because I remember the first couple of days I was on set, I thought This is ridiculous. I look like an idiot. I don't look anything like General Zod. I'm a total failure. I went over to the screen for playback and it was ridiculous. All of us were wearing pajamas, basically. And there was this neon green set of stairs that was supposed to be our spaceship. So you see us all marching down these neon green stairs in our pajamas and I'm like, 'This looks like a Monty Python skit.' And he's like, "I know right now it looks pretty silly, but, two years from now, , it's going to look like the most badass thing you've ever seen in your life. And he's right."
The actor also touched on the expectations of comic book fans which he diplomatically admitted that he is not. Shannon franly stated, "I mean, it is their thing. It's not my thing. I'm not in that club. So, I have a respect for it. To people, it's like a religious experience and I don't discount that. I understand it. We're very sheltered from all that on set. I mean, yeah, if people want to know if it was a high pressure job -- it was very high pressure. And everybody felt a lot of anxiety about getting it right. But, Zack's strategy -- which is very intelligent -- is to keep everything very calm and fun and playful and not get tied up about it. Because if you get overly anxious about pleasing people, you can't make anything. You have to be relaxed and have a good time."
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MAN OF STEEL: "The Battle Of Smallville"
Running Time: In post-production
Release Date: 14 June 2013 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner,Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff, Harry Lennix
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Written by: Christopher Nolan (story), David S. Goyer screenplay)
Man of Steel follows the Last Son of Krypton on his epic journey to become mankind's shinning beacon of hope for a brighter future. With the beliefs and values instilled by his adoptive parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent, a young Clark (Henry Cavill) sets out to find his place in the world. But when the nefarious General Zodd (Michael Shannon) arrives on Earth, Clark will have to choose between being a normal human or Kal-el,son of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and humanity's greatest protector and champion. Filmed in IMAX and shot in Vancouver, Chicago and Plano, Illinois, Man of Steel will be released on June 14, 2013 by Warner Bros. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) with a screenplay by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) the Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) produced feature film will surely be the summer blockbuster of 2013.