The Playlist

Michael Shannon Says His General Zod In 'Man of Steel' Will Be Very Different From Terence Stamp's

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 11, 2011 11:53 AM
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2 Comments

Also Says That Crime Film 'The Iceman' & James Franco's 'As I Lay Dying' Aren't Happening Any Time Soon We have to confess, when considering the possibilities as to who might end up playing villain General Zod in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot "Man of Steel," Michael Shannon was never on our list. Not that he's not a fine actor -- he's one of the finest out there right now, one who goes from strength to strength with seemingly every performance. And not that he's resisted studio fare in the past -- indeed, he'll be playing a villain in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt vehicle "Premium Rush" at the start of next year. It's more that Shannon's particular brand of bug-eyed crazy is so very different from the steely fascism embodied by Terence Stamp in the character's last big-screen appearance in "Superman II."

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Relativity Buys 'Machine Gun Preacher' From Lionsgate In Hopes Of Getting Gerard Butler An Oscar Nom

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 15, 2011 1:19 AM
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7 Comments

Considering his run of recent performances... actually, let's strike that and start again. Considering almost every performance he's ever given, ever, perhaps bar a decent vocal turn in "How To Train Your Dragon," the idea of Gerard Butler as a potential Oscar nominee is a bizarre one: this is, after all, the man who, in films like "Law Abiding Citizen," "The Ugly Truth" and "The Bounty Hunter" has give some of the most wretched bits of acting in recent memory, and whose signature role is still King Shouty in "300." But before the just-starting-to-gear-up awards season kicks off, it's something that we could possibly end up seeing.

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'Take Shelter' Takes Top Prize At Cannes' Critic's Week

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 20, 2011 1:16 AM
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0 Comments

Australian Serial Killer Flick 'Snowtown' Gets Special MentionThe 2011 Cannes Film Festival is just stumbling on its last legs, with the final big film of the festival, Sean Penn starrer "This Must Be The Place," bowing this morning (watch for our review in a few hours). The festival's main awards won't be revealed until Sunday, but a select few awards have already been given out, focusing on films in the Critic's Week, the sidebar which highlights first and second films from directors, and celebrates its 50th year in 2011.

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Rewind: The Week In Movies, April 11-17

By Gabe Toro
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April 17, 2011 4:44 AM
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2 Comments

It was a busy week at The Playlist, with announcements for "Man Of Steel" and "The Dark Knight Rises," a few big trailer premieres and, our biggest thrill, the announcement of the Cannes '11 lineup. We decided to cull together the ten news stories this week that generated the heaviest debate, so if you missed anything, feel free to click away.

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Diane Lane "Tremendously Excited" To Be Working With Michael Shannon In 'Man Of Steel'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 13, 2011 2:33 AM
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5 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: Film nerds and comic geeks came together for a brief shining moment earlier this week when it was announced that celebrated character actor Michael Shannon ("Boardwalk Empire," "Revolutionary Road," "Shotgun Stories") had landed the juicy role of General Zod in Zack Snyder's Superman film "Man Of Steel." It's a nervy bit of casting, one that Shannon himself revealed the studio wasn't hot on initially, insisting that he at least do a cursory screen test opposite Henry Cavill. But Shannon impressed and Snyder got his way, and one of the actor's fellow castmates is certainly glad to have him along for the ride as well.

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Michael Shannon Says 'Man Of Steel' Meeting With Zack Snyder Was Like Being On Acid

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 12, 2011 3:32 AM
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2 Comments

Matthew Vaughn Eyed Colin Firth For 'X-Men: First Class'A couple of brief bits of comic movie background and what-ifs.

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Michael Shannon Cast As General Zod In Zack Snyder's 'Superman' Now Officially Titled 'Man Of Steel'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 10, 2011 8:41 AM
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20 Comments

We'll be goddamned if Zack Snyder isn't doing everything in his power to scrub the ugly, ugly memory of "Sucker Punch" out of our minds. He's got a world of expectation on his shoulders for the upcoming "Superman" reboot but with each casting announcement, we can't help but get more and more excited for the film.

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James Marsden, Michael Shannon, Michael C. Hall & Melissa Leo Head Up A 'Dead Circus'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 30, 2011 1:35 AM
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6 Comments

Well, we'll give this one points for bonkers casting because when you have a movie where James Marsden plays Charles Manson that's...something. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

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Michael Shannon Rumored As Candidate For 'Superman' Villain

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 24, 2011 9:59 AM
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12 Comments

Well, here's the best fucking idea we've heard all day. This morning the rumor mill started around Zack Snyder's "Superman" again with word that Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos") was being considered for a villain role in the upcoming film. Well, another actor has now emerged -- someone who is perhaps one of the finest character actors working right now.

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