‘Man of Steel’ Star Ridicules $10 Billion Star Wars Franchise, Calls It Mindless Entertainment
Michael Shannon has been entertaining us for over three decades. The 48-year-old actor has been associated with critically acclaimed projects like- the Oscar-winning movie The Shape Of Water, Take Shelter, DC’s Man Of Steel, Pearl Harbor, Elvis And Nixon, Mud, and Revolutionary Road.
Read Also: ‘The Flash’ and ‘Man of Steel’ Actor Michael Shannon Rejected Star Wars Villain Role
Recently, Michael Shannon made headlines with The Flash. He reprised his role as General Zod in the Ezra Miller Starer superhero movie. The actor made a sensational revelation of turning down the offer of one the path-breaking and oldest franchises of the world-Star Wars.
Michael Shannon On Turning Down A Role Offered By The Star Wars Franchise
The Flash actor Michael Shannon feels that one of the oldest yet reputed franchises in the movie world Star Wars is not interesting at all. During an interview with the Empire magazine, The Man Of Steel actor confessed why he had turned down a role offered in the Star Wars franchise. The actor revealed-
“I don’t ever want to get stuck in a franchise. I don’t find them interesting, and I don’t want to perpetuate them. If I’m making something, I want there to be some kind of purpose to it — I don’t want to make mindless entertainment.”
He even labeled the franchise as ‘Mindless Entertainment’ and mentioned-
“The world doesn’t need more mindless entertainment. We’re inundated with it.”
According to an interview with the media outlet Collider, Michael Shannon spoke about reprising his character in Ezra Miller’s The Flash, he went on to express his feelings on returning back to the DC franchise with the angle of the multiverse. The Man Of Steel actor said-
“Yeah. I’m not gonna lie; it wasn’t quite satisfying for me as an actor. These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures. It’s like, ‘Here’s this person. Here’s that person. And they’re fighting!’ It’s not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt ‘Man of Steel’ was. Whether people think that’s crazy or not, I don’t even care.”
Michael Shannon has been playing the role of General Zod, the supervillain from the DC universe. He appeared as Zod in the Man Of Steel in the year 2013. While comparing The Flash and Man Of Steel, the actor said-
I really felt like ‘Man of Steel’ was actually a pretty sophisticated story. I feel like ‘The Flash’ is too, but it’s not Zod’s story. I’m basically there to present a challenge.”
Michael Shannon feels that the addition of multiverse plots in the movies nowadays is kind of like playing with the action heroes which even leads to confusing the audience sometimes.
Michael Shannon On His Co-Star Ezra Miller’s Controversies
Ezra Miller has been shrouded with controversies for a long time. The Flash was widely appreciated by their fans across the world. The Man Of Steel actor Michael Shannon portrayed the role of General Zod in The Flash. While talking about the scandals surrounding his co-star the actor mentioned-
“If you’re talking about Ezra [Miller], I thought Ezra was lovely — very kind to me when I was there. It’s difficult to talk about, but I always give people a lot of slack in this business, because there are a lot of people in this business that have issues. And some people have more privacy than others.”
On talking about how the controversies around a star always bring them into the media spotlight, Michael Shannon sympathized with The Perks Of Being A Wallflower actor and said-
“Any time somebody is out in the spotlight getting picked on, I feel for them. Even if it’s warranted, it’s still a horrible situation.”
After meeting Warner Bros. Actor Ezra Miller issued a statement in August 2022, in which they revealed that they were suffering from “complex mental health issues” and had “begun a clinical treatment for their poor mental health.” They had mentioned in the statement-
“I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe, and productive stage in my life.”
During the premiere of The Flash, director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti commented on the health condition of Ezra Miller. Andy Muschietti said-
“We’re all hoping that they get better… They’re taking the steps to recovery. They’re dealing with mental health issues, but they’re well. We talked to them not too long ago, and they’re very committed to getting better.”
Barbara Muschietti was all praises for the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them actor. She said-
“And, I have to say, during our shoot, during principal photography, their commitment to the role was something we’ve never seen. And the discipline to the work, the willingness — physical, mental, and just wanting to go beyond the pale — is just amazing.”
Ezra Miller’s The Flash has received positive reviews worldwide. The movie is currently running in theatres across the world.
Source: The Guardian
