Michael Shannon is an actor mostly known for his celebrated supporting role turns in a number of films and TV series ranging from indie fare to studio dramas, prestige television and various types of awards fare.
One place you rarely see him is in franchise filmmaking. With the notable exception of Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” in 2013, Shannon hasn’t gone the blockbuster route, which is by design.
Speaking about the recent reprisal of his role as General Zod in the new “The Flash” film at DC Studios, the “99 Homes” and “The Shape of Water” star tells Empire (via Insider) that doesn’t really have any interest in acting in franchise films.
In fact, he revealed he turned down the possibility of starring in a “Star Wars” film back in 2016 and spoke about his hesitation in terms of accepting those larger-scale films:
“I’m always a bit wary about those giant movies. Because they take a lot of time, and I don’t find them very stimulating to work on. 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. The world doesn’t need more mindless entertainment. We’re inundated with it.”
That hasn’t stopped him from taking on big projects, with the actor recently having a role in the “Bullet Train” film at Sony Pictures. He’ll soon be seen in the upcoming post-apocalyptic musical “The End” and Jeff Nichols’ new film “The Bikeriders”.
