Exclusive: Terence Stamp Returning As General Zod In The Flash
Terence Stamp will reprise the role of General Zod in The Flash via CGI.
Terence Stamp will return to the role of Superman’s Kryptonian nemesis General Zod in the upcoming Flash movie starring Ezra Miller. However, according to our trusted and proven sources, he will be appearing in a cameo via CGI, presumably de-aging the 84-year-old actor to his appearance in Superman: The Movie. This will be the first time Terence Stamp has reprised the character in years but does line up with reports that The Flash will involve a Multiverse concept and variants of multiple characters.
Terence Stamp first played General Zod in the Christopher Reeve Superman movie in a brief introductory cameo in 1978, followed up by a primary antagonist role in 1980’s Superman II. His icy yet enraged performance as the Kryptonian exile is considered a landmark in the portrayal of comic book villains, with his line “Kneel before Zod!” becoming an iconic catchphrase. However, since Superman II, he has only briefly returned to the role for a dialogue-less scream in an episode of the WB show Smallville (on which he also provided the voice of Superman’s Kryptonian father Jor-El).
Since then, the character of Zod has been portrayed by various actors in both live-action and animated television shows, including Supergirl, Superman & Lois, and Krypton. But the most significant modern version of the character is undoubtedly Michael Shannon’s performance in the 2013 film Man of Steel, which kicked off Zack Snyder’s vision of the DC Universe at the time. Shannon briefly reprised the role in 2016 for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and interestingly, is also going to appear in The Flash in some capacity.
With both Terence Stamp and Michael Shannon appearing as Zod in some capacity in The Flash, it is no surprise that we might also get multiple versions of Superman. While Henry Cavill has officially departed the role, we previously reported that he already shot scenes for the film, which presumably can still make the cut. Additionally, it has been reported that the film will introduce some new, younger version of Superman, though there is no word as of yet about who might be playing the superhero.
Terence Stamp’s appearance in The Flash via CGI could take several forms. On one side, it could be as simple and quick as Dwayne Johnson’s spectral appearance in Shazam (reportedly due to his lack of interest in the movie) or it could be more elaborate, like Mark Hamill’s appearance as a decades-younger version of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. Since the controversial use of Peter Cushings’ licensed image to create a CGI double for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016, SFX artists have been working overtime to get out of the uncanny valley, so it seems entirely possible.
The Flash is currently scheduled to be released on June 16, though it has already been delayed an unprecedented five times (plus one instance of it actually being moved forward a week). At various points, it has included multiple Batmen and multiple Supermen, so no real surprise that we are getting Terence Stamp for multiple General Zods.
