Corona | Coming Attractions

Late yesterday afternoon a press release went out over the wire annoucing that Michael Shannon had won the part of General Zod, adversary to Superman in Zack Snyder's new Superman movie Man of Steel.

"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," commented Snyder, as he has been doing with every confirmed casting decision. "Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."

Shannon, who received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road, joins Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent and Diane Lane as Martha Kent.

The casting of Shannon finally puts to bed the rumors that Zod was not going to feature in Man of Steel. Six weeks ago the first story arose that Viggo Mortensen could be playing the power mad Kryptonian military leader, and there's still talk going on that Ursa, Zod's female accomplace, will feature in the new Superman movie. However, so far there's been next to no whispers that Man of Steel will include someone playing Superman's main thorn, Lex Luthor.

The other major news is that Snyder's film won't be titled Superman: Man of Steel but simply Man of Steel. That's interesting and I wonder if it's a suggestion that came directly from Christopher Nolan. In addition to being one of the producers on Man of Steel, Nolan directed The Dark Knight, and that superhero movie did tremendously well without needing to include Batman in its title.