Last month, some set photos surfaced from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel revealing what looked to be Michael Shannon in character as villain General Zod wearing a motion-capture suit. The images weren’t the best of quality, so no one was 100% certain that it was actually Shannon in the suit. Well, now the actor has confirmed that Snyder’s interpretation of the infamous Superman villain will be brought to life using motion-capture technology.
Shannon says that when he initially met with Snyder, the director told him he wouldn’t be put into one of those “silly suits,” but when time came for the cameras to start rolling Snyder had a bit of a surprise for the actor. Hit the jump to see what Shannon had to say about wearing the motion-capture garb and how he approached the character.
Speaking with Moviefone, Shannon recounted first meeting with Snyder and telling the director he didn’t want to be put in a CGI suit:
“It’s funny because when I met with Zack we were talking about it before it started and he mentioned that there was going to be a lot of CGI, or whatever. I said, ‘Just don’t make me wear one of those silly suits.’ He said, ‘Oh, yeah, don’t worry, I know exactly what you’re talking about.’ I was like, ‘It’s going to be really hard for me to be intimidating if I have to wear one of those silly suits.’ He said, ‘I totally understand.’ Then I showed up and he’s like, ‘Dude, I swear to God, it’s going to be so badass when we[‘re] done. Trust me, it’s going to be wicked.’”
Shannon didn’t confirmed exactly how much of Zod will be creating using CGI but judging from the photo it looks to be a good portion. He also revealed that he’s not the only one wearing the motion-capture suit in the film, so expect a number of CGI creations.
The actor also spoke a bit about his approach to the character and how it will differ from Terrence Stamp’s take on the villain in the original Superman (via MTV):
“I’m not going to impersonate Terence Stamp. I’m not going to have a British accent or anything. All I can say is it’s very well written and there’s a lot of great opportunities to reinvent it for myself. The challenge is for me to do that. There’s nothing holding me back. I think they’re counting on me to give my interpretation. I’ll do the best I can…Being a general, to me, that’s a fascinating, iconoclastic character. I can’t imagine being a sergeant, let alone a general. He’s in charge of the entire military of Krypton. That’s going to take every little shred of imagination that I have. It’s a good challenge because it’s a big distance to have to go.”
Compounded with the glimpses of Henry Cavill’s undergarment-less Superman suit, it sure sounds like Snyder is taking quite a different take on the superhero. I’m thankful that this won’t be a monotonous retread (ahem, Superman Returns), but it remains to be seen if audiences will respond to a Snyder-built Superman universe. We’ll find out when Man of Steel hits theaters June 14, 2013.
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Well, I thought Snyder’s Dr. Manhattan looked amazing despite being a CGI creation.
It captured the otherworldliness of the character perfectly while still resembling a human being.
I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt before judging his General Zod approach on this one.
And, after all, the fact that Michael Shannon is an amazingly talented actor also does help.
Yeah. He looked real. Especially his junk on Imax screen.
Michael Shannon’s height is 6′ 3″. Henry Cavill’s height is 6′ 1″.
I hope the climactic fight between Superman and General Zod will knock everyone on their ass.
He should’ve played the Joker, just watch Revolutionary Road and you’ll agree.
Yep, he could play the Joker. Hell, I’d be fine with him playing whatever…he’s just great. He’s known by many for the crazier more offbeat stuff, but Shotgun Stories showed another side, more subdued, just as good. But what about Bizarro?
No matter how the movie turns out it’ll be good for him, he deserves it…he’s been around a while(Groundhog Day!)
And Bug was my proper intro, ha
Hey Number 6: My proper intro to The Shannon was Boardwalk Empire, had no clue who he was and haven’t looked back since. Cant wait to see The Iceman as well. Tremendous talent, no question.
Shannon is seriously one of the all time best wacko actors, neck and neck with Nic cage. Really want them to be together in a movie one day. Can’t wait to see Shannon in Boardwalk S2 and Cage in Trespass. Seriously, check that flick out.
bitly.com/o7TwhG
they were both in bad lieutenant, michael shannon had a small role
This movie is going to make so much money lol. When Zack is given other people’s work he hits it out the park (300, Dawn of the dead). This is going to be so epic. i am actually looking forward to this film more than any other superhero film
I was thinking the exact same thing myself, both ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (however unnecessary a remake it was) and ’300′ were solid affairs, but ‘Watchmen’ was nothing short of amazing, and it’s that film that gives me confidence that Zack Snyder is going to knock ‘Man of Steel’ out of the park, not to mention consign Bryan “camp, who me?” Singer’s snore-fest to the dustbin of history where it belongs…
I hope that he will knock it out of the Earth, and make it disappear. ^^
He’s been solid EXCEPT for Sucker Punch. That was pretty bad. Visually cool, but bad….
I also didn’t care for some of the liberties he took with Watchmen (The ending….The unecessary Owlman vs Ozy fight mostly). But he’s very talented and I’m sure will do a great job with MOS.
Fingers crossed.
Well,I’m not against using Motion capture suits.I think the best bit about Green Lantern,probably the only one,was that the GL suit looked awesome.Dr.Manhattan looked like straight out of the comics as well.I think this is a right step by Zach Snyder,even though I’m 50/50 on how Superman looks.
Looking forward to seeing ZOD in a Mocap suit! Especially after seeing Supermans perfect Superman design. What is up Zachs sleeve with this?
He spoke of another Mocap character, and seeing those recent photos of a man in a Mocap suit, with an eyeline pole on his head (signifying a much taller character) I wonder who that could be?
Maybe its a redesign of NON, as the silent strong right hand man to ZOD? That would complete the Trio of villains from Superman II.
Also big question that no one has mentioned yet..
Will ZOD sport a BEARD ??? Hope so, just as a nod to Stamp.