Harry Lennix Was About to Retire From Acting Before Getting Cast in Man of Steel

General Swanwick actor Harry Lennix nearly retired from acting before being cast in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Lennix has a long resumé in both television and film, starring in some of the biggest blockbusters of the past few decades before joining the DCEU. Lennix had parts in Bad Boys and both The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. Lennix’s role in the DCEU came after the cancellation of a series he had been starring in, Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse.

Lennix subsequently made his debut in Man of Steel, the Henry Cavill-led Superman reboot that kicked off the DCEU in earnest. Lennix then appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but was absent from the theatrical release of 2017’s Justice League. Snyder has made it clear that he had big plans for Lennix’s character, who was revealed to be Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The groundwork for this had been laid early, but Warner Bros. seemed to sideline this aspect of the character in the main trajectory of the DCEU.

Despite this, though, Lennix is seemingly grateful for the role of General Swanwick, saying that it saved him from retiring as an actor. Lennix made an appearance during Justice Con and explained that, after the cancellation of Dollhouse, he was ready to call it in. The actor says that his agents largely saw him as someone who couldn’t get auditions until Snyder called, looking to bring him onboard the Superman reboot.

This is one of these crazy stories where I was literally about to retire and go back to teach school. I was fed up with it and I had been on the show – the show, the show got cancelled. Curiously enough it was Dollhouse, Joss Whedon’s show. It was on for a year and a half and it got cancelled. And then my agents decided I guess that I was washed up and kicked me off the roles and I couldn’t get decent auditions for a little while there…and then my phone rang and it was my new agent saying ‘Zack Snyder wants to cast you in Man of Steel.’

Snyder’s big plans for Lennix’s character may not have come to fruition in the way they were originally planned, but the actor finally made his debut as Martian Manhunter, and many fans are clamoring to see more of him. Whether or not Lennix returns remains up in the air. Warner Bros. executives have made it clear that Snyder’s DCEU has concluded with his release of the Snyder Cut, but that doesn’t mean Lennix couldn’t pop up in future installments.

With Cavill’s own future as Superman up in the air, though, it’s clear the DCEU is making a major shift when it comes to the future. Executives may be looking to close the door on that chapter of the saga for good. J.J. Abrams is rebooting Superman again, with there being reports that Cavill is being replaced in favor of introducing a Black Man of Steel. Still, Lennix had a good run as General Swanwick and made a mark on the franchise with his role as Martian Manhunter in the Snyder Cut. Even if it’s the end, fans will remember him for that cameo alone.

Source: Justice Con

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Graeme Guttmann
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Graeme Guttmann is an editor, writer, and interviewer for Screen Rant. With a love for all things pop culture, he watches just about everything from the biggest blockbusters to reality shows like Real Housewives. He currently resides in Boston, MA where he is an MFA candidate at Emerson College for creative writing. You can follow him on Twitter @cryptograeme for pop culture commentary and random musings about pop music and just about anything else.

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