Actor Michael Shannon rejected 'Star Wars' because he didn't want to be "stuck in a franchise." He was approached for a role in the sci-fi series in 2016 but said no as he considers the blockbusters to be "mindless entertainment."
"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," Michael told Empire magazine, reports aceshowbiz.com.
"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."
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Despite his dislike of movie franchises, Michael reprises his role as General Zod in the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film 'The Flash' - although he did not expect to be back for another movie having first played the antagonist a decade ago in 'Man of Steel'.
The 'Nocturnal Animals' star explained: "Yeah, I didn't see myself playing Zod again, because he was dead. It's actually one of the reasons I made 'Man of Steel' in the first place - it was a one-and-done. So I was pretty shocked to hear about the reprisal of the role."
“But I like the story that 'The Flash' is telling and I wasn't there for a long of time - I was just there a couple of weeks - so it didn't break my back to do it."
