Shannon said he nearly `'had a seizure" when director Zac Snyder tapped him for the role.
`'I would've never seen that coming in a million years," Shannon told The Associated Press at the Venice Film Festival, where he attended the world premiere Thursday of `'The Iceman," in which he plays a real-life Mafia hit man.
Shannon wouldn't say more about the upcoming film - except to say `'we all know what happens in Superman."
`'Man of Steel" is in post-production and due for release the middle of next year.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)