Michael Shannon Wanted Zack Snyder's Blessing To Be In The Flash

Michael Shannon, who will return to the role of General Zod in the upcoming film The Flash, has revealed that he sought Zack Snyder's blessing before committing to the role. According to a new interview on the Bingeworthy podcast, Shannon reached out to Snyder first before returning to the DC Universe.

"I was hesitant, because I wasn't really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole [Justice League controversy] deal," Shannon said. "And I really love Zack. The fact that Zack asked me to play that part to begin with--that's probably the biggest surprise of my career. It almost felt like a practical joke. I was like, 'You're kidding me, right?'"

Shannon said that he checked with The Flash director Andy Muschietti before contacting Snyder. Both filmmakers approved of Shannon's return to the role of General Zod, and Snyder gave Shannon his blessing.

"Zack, to his credit, was very understanding," Shannon said. "He gave me his blessing, and I went to do it. I loved Andy, too. I loved working with Andy. They're both super creative guys."

In addition to the surprise return of Shannon as Zod, the movie will also feature Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton reprising their respective versions of Batman.

The Flash screened for select viewers at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, and will hit theaters on June 16.