General Zod's character in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel was created in hopes for actor Daniel Day-Lewis to star in the role.
"You can talk about Daniel Day-Lewis as an actor and he can play any part he wants," Snyder told MTV News. "If Daniel Day-Lewis called you up and said, like, 'I want to be in your movie. So, I want to be Lois Lane.' You'd be, like… 'Yeah, ok. It's a take I wasn't prepared for, but yes.'" Snyder confirmed his former hopes of Day-Lewis starring in Man of Steel, stating, "Yeah, we did talk. We had hoped that Daniel Day-Lewis would be interested in the movie."
Day-Lewis is infamously selective about his on-screen appearances. Since Man of Steel in 2013, Day-Lewis only appeared in one film, Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread in 2017. The actor announced his retirement just before the film's release. Day-Lewis' performances have received critical acclaim and he currently holds the record for having the most Academy Awards for Best Actor -- three in total.
General Zod was portrayed by Michael Shannon in Man of Steel. Shannon received many positive reviews for his acting performances and has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. While Zod was not one of the many DC Extended Universe characters returning for Zack Snyder's Justice League, Shannon previously expressed his desire to work with Snyder again. "Oh, I'd love to work with Zack again. I loved doing [Man of Steel]. It was a special experience," Shannon said. "I felt very fortunate that he called me to do it in the first place."
Snyder also recently addressed another casting rumor, a long-held belief that he hoped to cast Star Wars' Adam Driver as Nightwing, an alias of Batman's ward Dick Grayson. While the casting rumor about Zod was confirmed by the director, Snyder said that the Nightwing rumor is only half-true. "I did talk to Adam Driver about a role, but it wasn't Nightwing," Snyder clarified. He held off on telling what the intended DCEU role was for Driver.
Zack Snyder's Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The film is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: YouTube