-
With Michael Shannon doing a fair amount of press in recent weeks to promote his new movie, writer-director Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter, the Academy Award-nominated actor has been the most accessible member of the cast of Zack Snyder's Superman franchise reboot, a fact that nearly every reporter who has interviewed him has exploited in an attempt to try to glean some knowledge about Man of Steel. While not always forthcoming with revealing information — he has said several times that he plans to "reinvent" General Zod, but he never says how exactly — Shannon recently disclosed in an interview with The L.A. Times that he will be acting "on another planet" in Man of Steel thanks to green screen technology, which seems to be a pretty clear indication that we will get to see Superman's (played by Henry Cavill) home planet of Krypton, pre-global catastrophe.
what did Shannon say about playing Zod? >> Posted 10.01.11 by BrentJS -
It's been several years since a bicycle messenger movie has been released — 1986's Quicksilver to be exact. Writer-director David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, Secret Window) has used the world of New York bicycle messengers as the setting for his latest thriller, Premium Rush.
Starring the currently ubiquitous Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises), Premium Rush follows a risk-taking bike messenger named Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) whose latest package gains the interest of a crooked cop (Michael Shannon) and starts a dangerous and deadly pursuit that continues throughout the city. The thriller won't come out until next year, so the first trailer is the best peek at the movie until the marketing campaign kicks into gear (get it?) at the end of the year.
watch the new trailer >> Posted 09.16.11 by Ryan -
The latest batch of "spy" photos to emerge from the Chicago sets of Zack Snyder's Superman franchise reboot, Man of Steel, have both puzzled and reassured the die-hard comic book movie fans who have been following every step of the production, from its early days filming in "Smallville" to its current set-up in "Metropolis." New photos of Henry Cavill as Superman's alter-ego, Clark Kent, have reignited furious debates in fan forums and chat rooms, while the first images of Michael Shannon in costume as Zod have caused many to breathe a sigh of relief.
what have the new photos revealed? >> Posted 09.16.11 by BrentJS -
For the first time on the big screen since 1980's Superman II, General Zod will try to force Superman to "kneel before Zod" and actor Michael Shannon is nervous about it. Shannon has previously admitted that he did not feel "worthy" to take over the role, originally played by Terence Stamp, and says his version of the character that appears in Man of Steel will be a "reinvention."
In a recent interview with Complex, Shannon admitted that playing Zod comes with a lot of pressure.
Shannon talks preparation, casting, and "spy" pics >> Posted 09.12.11 by Ryan -
It seems appropriate that production on Zack Snyder's Superman franchise reboot, Man of Steel, seems to be following the trajectory of Superman's (Henry Cavill) own life experiences on Earth. The production recently spent several weeks in and around Plano, Ill., which doubled as Clark Kent's (Superman's human name, in case you didn't know) childhood home of Smallville. Now, the production has moved to downtown Chicago, which will double for Metropolis, the fictional mega-city that adult Clark calls his home as a reporter for The Daily Planet and which serves as Superman's superhero "beat." According to Chicago's WGN TV, Man of Steel will shoot for ten days in Chicago, with The Chicago Board of Trade building serving as the exterior of The Daily Planet and the floors of the Willis Tower serving as the interiors of the newspaper office. After Chicago, the Man of Steel production will move on to Vancouver, B.C.
what did Shannon say about playing Zod? >> Posted 09.07.11 by BrentJS -
Though the original Superman movie, the precursor of the modern era of comic book-inspired movies, is often considered a superior movie to its sequel (critics rate it 94% on aggregate review site RottenTomatoes versus 88% for the second movie); among comic book movie fans there's simply nothing that tops seeing Superman (Christopher Reeve) tangle with the three Kryptonian villains: General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) in Superman II.
After Bryan Singer's Superman Returns failed to deliver the kind of super-thrills that fans had been clamoring to see in a movie about the world's first superhero, the news that Zod and Ursa — now called by her original comic book name, Faoroa — would be the villains in Zack Snyder's franchise reboot, Man of Steel, was received with nearly universal praise by the fan community. The few naysayers — the same people who are upset that Superman will not be sporting those dated red briefs — have questioned how Michael Shannon can possibly deliver a General Zod performance as compelling and memorable as that given by Stamp in the first two Superman movies. Now, for the first time since being cast, Shannon has offered up his own thoughts on being "worthy" of Stamp's legacy.
what did shannon say? >> Posted 09.04.11 by BrentJS -
UPDATE: We've been informed that this was only a Test Scene and that it was not officially released. In fact, the movie has not even gone into production and it is unclear when or if it will.
Director Ariel Vromen's potential drama-thriller The Iceman is based on the book The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer by Anthony Bruno and the documentary The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer by Jim Thebaut, and documents the life of Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the Gambino crime family who committed his first murder in his early teens and claimed to have killed more than 250 people during his life.
read the synopsis and watch the footage >> Posted 08.09.11 by BrentJS -
How does an actor audition to play the villain in one of the most anticipated movies ever? Apparently in a small office room with noisy air conditioning and a camera.
That's how Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) described his test screening with Harry Cavill for the role of General Zod in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot. Speaking to an audience at RiverRun, Shannon talked about getting the role of Zod.
I was talking to my agent and he was like, 'How about Superman?' I was like 'What?' The idea that I'd ever be in superman. Are you serious?
how did Shannon audition without a script? >> Posted 04.12.11 by Chris -
Bad news for those who have placed bets that Viggo Mortensen was going to be the baddie in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot.
Warner Bros. announced Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) has been cast as General Zod, the role that Mortensen was rumored to be up for.
In a statement, Snyder talked about the casting of Shannon and the character of Zod.
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. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.
Looks like Snyder changed his tune about Zod. In November, the director said Zod was not going to appear in his movie. Zod isn't new to moviegoers. The character appeared in the original Superman and its sequel, played by Terence Stamp.
Shannon joins a cast that includes Harry Cavill, who plays Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Superman: The Man of Steel is being produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan, and Snyder's wife, Deborah. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer, co-writer of both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, from an idea conceived by Nolan and Goyer. No start date has been announced as of yet. The movie is slated for a December 2012 release.
Posted 04.10.11 by reelz -
In a statement released jointly by Millennium Films and Bleiberg Entertainment, it has been revealed that James Franco, Michael Shannon, and Benicio del Toro have signed on to star in director Ariel Vromen's (Rx, Danika) new movie, The Iceman. The movie, which Vromen co-wrote with Morgan Land (Rx), is based on the book The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer by Anthony Bruno and on the documentary The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer by Jim Thebaut, and tells the story of convicted murderer Richard Kuklinski, who claims to have killed more than 250 people as a contract killer for the mob.
read the synopsis of the movie >> Posted 01.24.11 by BrentJS