The Official Michael Shannon IS General Zod - Part 1

[Herolee10]

READ THIS!

http://screenrant.com/superman-man-of-steel-zod-michael-shannon-kofi-110303/

Agreed. That's what I've been trying to say on these boards as well. Zod imho presents a better opportunity towards having Superman question his own humanity and having him in a dilemma of choosing between his kryptonian heritage or his earthly one in a better way that someone like Brainiac could since Brainiac is still an A.I.

Singer said from the beginning that SR would be a continuation Superman 1 & 2, completely disregarding 3 & 4.

Actually, from what I had heard, Superman Returns is more of a loose sequel to SI, and that the writers had only taken certain concepts from SII (Lex finding his way to the FOS, Superman and Lois being lovers) but didn't include the events that took place in there as part of its continuity.

 

[SuperDaniel]

I think it makes sense for Superman to fight the worse Krypton and mankind has to offer and then in the sequel he fights an Enemy of the universe in the form of Brainiac and then in the 3rd, the fights Darkseid.

 

[manofsteel4life]

I think it makes sense for Superman to fight the worse Krypton and mankind has to offer and then in the sequel he fights an Enemy of the universe in the form of Brainiac and then in the 3rd, the fights Darkseid.

thats how i see it.....and a perfect way to get people hyped a la Darknight with the joker

 

[Herolee10]

I think it makes sense for Superman to fight the worse Krypton and mankind has to offer and then in the sequel he fights an Enemy of the universe in the form of Brainiac and then in the 3rd, the fights Darkseid.

Agreed, hell for all we know, they may allude to brainiac's existence and upcoming menace at the end of MOS like they did with Joker in BB.

 

[KalMart]

Have you been taken over by a bot?

Haha...nah, just ruminating over the controversial nature of this character choice.

 

[newmexneon]

Zod being the villain will be the downfall of this film. People want to see fresh ideas. Singers' hard-on for the Donner films are what caused problems with Returns and now we have a second film that people are going to think is a remake. Bad idea WB, very bad.

 

[terry78]

You know they're going to try and save Darkseid for the JL flick. But we'll see.

 

[SuperDaniel]

And why ZOD CANT achieve all this is beyond me...

 

[Herolee10]

Zod being the villain will be the downfall of this film. People want to see fresh ideas. Singers' hard-on for the Donner films are what caused problems with Returns and now we have a second film that people are going to think is a remake. Bad idea WB, very bad.

How is using Zod the character, going to be a downfall for this film?

You can still create fresh ideas for the story while using characters that have been used before.

The difference between Singer's film and what we've heard that Nolan and Snyder are trying to achieve is that Singer's plot structure, theme, and execution of his story was very identical to Donner's film.

Zod's character has been in the comics for several decades. Despite what some believe, Zod wasn't created from scratch when SI and SII came out.

Was TDK doomed because Nolan wanted to use the Joker and Harvey dent in his film, which were two characters that were used in Burton's film? The films both covered in its own way, on how the Joker rose to the top of the criminal world and such and how he took over the crime bosses of Gotham.

The reason why TDK succeeded was because it told its story in a different and interesting way.

 

[DorkyFresh]

i've noticed that most of the people that are making illogical statements and rants about Zod seem to not take into consideration that the film is being crafted for the general audience just as much as it is being crafted for us fans, maybe even more so.

also, i seriously doubt Nolan would allow Goyer to write Zod as the main villain if he didn't feel they were portraying him in a compelling way.

 

[Herolee10]

i've noticed that most of the people that are making illogical statements and rants about Zod seem to not take into consideration that the film is being crafted for the general audience just as much as it is being crafted for us fans, maybe even more so.

also, i seriously doubt Nolan would allow Goyer to write Zod as the main villain if he didn't feel they were portraying him in a compelling way.

Well one thing's for sure. We'll always remember on the crazy statements that were brought up about MOS before it actually started filming.

From things like:

1. Cavill is losing his hair/receding/balding

2. Amy Adams is too old and white

3. Using Zod in anyway means that this is SII for today


Seriously, I'm almost ashamed at the fact that out of all of the fangroups there is out there for comic book characters, that we've come up with some of the stupidest **** to complain about at times.

 

[Doc Ock]

Me too. I hate that version.

Indeed. Although I kinda liked Spacey's Luthor. I loathed Hackman's.

 

[Darkness Falls]

Well one thing's for sure. We'll always remember on the crazy statements that were brought up about MOS before it actually started filming.

From things like:

1. Cavill is losing his hair/receding/balding

2. Amy Adams is too old and white

3. Using Zod in anyway means that this is SII for today


Seriously, I'm almost ashamed at the fact that out of all of the fangroups there is out there for comic book characters, that we've come up with some of the stupidest **** to complain about at times.

someone actually said that

 

[KalMart]

i've noticed that most of the people that are making illogical statements and rants about Zod seem to not take into consideration that the film is being crafted for the general audience just as much as it is being crafted for us fans, maybe even more so.

also, i seriously doubt Nolan would allow Goyer to write Zod as the main villain if he didn't feel they were portraying him in a compelling way.

I think some Superman fans are particularly skittish considering his movie history over the last decade compared to other franchises/characters. It's like there's a lot on the line, and not just with the legal issues. And it's only natural to be a bit skeptical of anything that even remotely smells of retreading, especially after SR. Add the director of Sucker Punch (and that movie's reception) into the mix, and it's like playing with matches near a Christmas tree. The general audience will either like it or not like it, and won't lose sleep either way....but for hardcore fans who want to see their character re-established as a major player in popular movies...it's tenuous. There's some pride at stake.

That said, the casting choices have been pretty good so far, and reflects how seriously they're taking the film. So hopefully that'll provide some encouragement.

 

[RoughNTumble]

also, i seriously doubt Nolan would allow Goyer to write Zod as the main villain if he didn't feel they were portraying him in a compelling way.

It seems more like their relationship is more about being colleagues than master and minion, like your statement implies.

But I don't think nolan would take the idea to WB if he didn't think it was good.

 

[DorkyFresh]

i actually pointed out that Cavill's hairline is receding...hehe, but i didn't make a big deal about it. most men's hairlines recede. i'm sure he'll look fine in the movie.

Amy Adams being too old, imo, is a legitimate concern but it just went on too long and certain posters were just being immature about it.

this Zod issue, though, is a whole different beast. there are just so many people coming in and shooting off their emotional responses without first letting it soak in and/or opening their minds to how they could be possibly handling his character. up till now we don't even know he's the only villain in the film.

It seems more like their relationship is more about being colleagues than master and minion, like your statement implies.

But I don't think nolan would take the idea to WB if he didn't think it was good.

that was better worded...but Nolan has the ultimate say, so while he sees Goyer as more of a colleague...if Nolan didn't like what Goyer was doing then he could easily tell Goyer to do something different probably without much resistance from Goyer.

 

[Herolee10]

I think some Superman fans are particularly skittish considering his movie history over the last decade compared to other franchises/characters. It's like there's a lot on the line, and not just with the legal issues. And it's only natural to be a bit skeptical of anything that even remotely smells of retreading, especially after SR. Add the director of Sucker Punch (and that movie's reception) into the mix, and it's like playing with matches near a Christmas tree. The general audience will either like it or not like it, and won't lose sleep either way....but for hardcore fans who want to see their character re-established as a major player in popular movies...it's tenuous.

That said, the casting choices have been pretty good so far, and reflects how seriously they're taking the film. So hopefully that'll provide some encouragement.

Well it is kind of sad when considering the fact that we've had 3 actors chosen to play the role of Clark Kent/Superman within the last decade, while other comic book characters have had just one or two (with the second portrayals normally being the characters presented in flashbacks) actors portray them.

I mean, I think Superman and Shadowcat have one thing in common within films and that is we've had the same amount of actors portray them in some way within live action streams before a decade has passed.

 

[KalMart]

Well it is kind of sad when considering the fact that we've had 3 actors chosen to play the role of Clark Kent/Superman within the last decade, while other comic book characters have had just one or two (with the second portrayals normally being the characters presented in flashbacks) actors portray them.

I mean, I think Superman and Shadowcat have one thing in common within films and that is we've had the same amount of actors portray them in some way within live action streams before a decade has passed.

Smallvile was already a show for a long time, so I don't think you can count that. But the other franchises didn't have to reboot, except for Hulk and, recently, Spidey. So there's at least two other franchises that have had at least two different lead actors. So Supes isn't quite alone in that respect. Plus, I think most moviegoers are fine rolling with different actors/versions. They either like the movie or don't, they don't really follow or care about all the behind-the-scenes drama like people here do.

 

[Herolee10]

Smallvile was already a show for a long time, so I don't think you can count that. But the other franchises didn't have to reboot, except for Hulk and, recently, Spidey. So there's at least two other franchises that have had at least two different lead actors. So Supes isn't quite alone in that respect. Plus, I think most moviegoers are fine rolling with different actors/versions. They either like the movie or don't, they don't really follow or care about all the behind-the-scenes drama like people here do.

True, but I wonder if the reason why fans are more inclined towards wanting to see something new from their POV is based on the fact that for the last 2 decades/generations, the Superman that has been presented on the Big Screen was Christopher Reeve's version and that when Singer, who should have taken the chance, opted towards going for the same version instead of going in the much needed new route that the character needed at the time.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

As long as Zod brings the action it's all good! I want to see some badass fighting on the big screen in a Superman movie for once...
Superman 1: earthquake
Superman 2: ok for it's time but lame fighting.
Superman 3: don't even remember
Superman 4:
Superman returns: visually great but still no physical competition

 

[Rowsdower!]

Well one thing's for sure. We'll always remember on the crazy statements that were brought up about MOS before it actually started filming.

From things like:

1. Cavill is losing his hair/receding/balding

2. Amy Adams is too old and white

3. Using Zod in anyway means that this is SII for today


Seriously, I'm almost ashamed at the fact that out of all of the fangroups there is out there for comic book characters, that we've come up with some of the stupidest **** to complain about at times.

I think that you're comparing apples and oranges there. Numbers 1 and 2 are stupid, petty gripes from people that possess the combined maturity of a kindergarten class. Number 3 is a different animal.

Granted, using Zod in no way guarantees that we are getting a rehash. (Yes, I know my signature indicates that I believe we are, but I'm only being half serious there.) But there is a bigger issue here that I think a lot of people are missing.

This is Superman's last shot. If this movie fails, that's it. We might see him on the big screen again, but it will certainly be a long time from now with an entirely different cast. Thus, we all want this movie to be successful. But more than that, we want this to be something we've never seen before. That's tough to do when you're making a movie about a character that we've already seen on the big screen multiple times.

But it can be done, of course. Batman Begins handled this perfectly. But what puzzles me here - and mainly because some of the guys behind this script were the ones who wrote BB - is the need to include a villain we've already seen. They wisely avoided this with BB because they wanted it to feel like a whole new movie. Yes, we got the Joker in TDK, but by that point, everyone knew that it was a new continuity.

Granted, the Donner films are not as popular as they once were; many young people these days haven't even seen them. So perhaps mainstream audiences won't even think about it, and if the story plays out nothing like Superman I and II, than there's an even better chance of that. I truly hope that is the case.

But my concern is, even though we're going to have a movie where two superpowered guys are fighting each other, it's not going to be that spectacular. They both look basically normal, and their powers, while fantastic, are tough to make visually stunning in the age of Avatar, (Abrams) Star Trek, and now Green Lantern. Whereas I think a villain like Brainiac, Darkseid, Metallo or even Lex in a Kryptonite battlesuit might have provided that.

Two super-strong guys flying around fighting? I saw that in The Matrix Convolutions. Hopefully this will be better, but who knows?

And lastly, it makes me worry that someone at WB or DC is still stuck in this mindset that "all of Superman's villains suck except Zod and Lex." That is the most simplistic attitude you could take towards this. Superman's villains don't "suck" any more than Green Lantern's or even Batman's as long as they're written well. And if you can't figure out how to write Superman's rogues well, then maybe you shouldn't be penning a Superman script.

It just irritates me that the closest we might ever get to seeing Brainiac or Doomsday or Metallo on film is f**king Smallville. And that sucks.

 

[Dark Knight]

Well one thing's for sure. We'll always remember on the crazy statements that were brought up about MOS before it actually started filming.

From things like:

1. Cavill is losing his hair/receding/balding

2. Amy Adams is too old and white

3. Using Zod in anyway means that this is SII for today


Seriously, I'm almost ashamed at the fact that out of all of the fangroups there is out there for comic book characters, that we've come up with some of the stupidest **** to complain about at times.

Agreed. However, most if these people who are whining and crying over everything usually don't hang out on these boards often. They are more than likely just trolls who are haters.

Their rationale for hating Zod being in this film is such a proposterous one dimensional way of thinking that it causes me to conclude they are just hating trolls.

 

[KalMart]

True, but I wonder if the reason why fans are more inclined towards wanting to see something new from their POV is based on the fact that for the last 2 decades/generations, the Superman that has been presented on the Big Screen was Christopher Reeve's version and that when Singer, who should have taken the chance, opted towards going for the same version instead of going in the much needed new route that the character needed at the time.

Oh he certainly should have rebooted from the outset, but it's the past now...can't undo it with this or any other film. They can only move forward...and in this case, it includes Zod.

 

[Mace Dolex]

It's Zod, so be it. I'm gonna accept it.
I'm really hoping for, and expecting, a fight like we have never seen before. Something like the aerial battle in Matrix, Spider-man vs Doc Ock in SM II, and the damage in cloverfield only more of it, all combined into one big smorgasbord.

I dont want to just see one city street or block damaged either, I want to see half or more of Metropolis damaged and on fire and smoking. I want to see cars used like bats, and subway cars and ships used like rams.

Maybe Michael Bay should direct this right?
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.Yes I said MICHAEL BAY!!!!

 

[DorkyFresh]

Rowsdower, that was a great post about the concerns for Zod and i actually agree with some of them. i'd give you some kudos for making a level-headed post without going into troll territory, but then i saw your sig...hehe.