My slew of editorials started because I kept wondering how Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment can rebound after the debacle that we call Green Lantern. It seems they have decided to “forget” about the aforementioned movie and treat Man of Steel as if it was the first official DCCU film (which is may very well be—there doesn’t seem to be any indication such plans were in place during Green Lantern). While that is a fine idea, what does Warner Bros. decide to do with Green Lantern? The character (any iteration) have always been an integral part of the Justice League and remains DC’s biggest opportunity to explore storylines beyond Earth. The following is how I would continue the Green Lantern franchise. Unlike my other editorials, I will not spend much time on specific plot points for specific movies.
I want to stress, before continuing, that I consider the Green Lantern franchise to be DC single, most important/power asset in the “comic book movies flame war”. Why? Not only is the scope of the Green Lantern universe all-encompassing on a galactic/universal scale (as oppose to Superman’s wordly scale and Batman’s city-scope plots), but the comics feature not one but four to six (depends on who you consider) human Green Lanterns of relative equal importance, each potentially able to headline their own films. Now as you will discover later in the article, my view on the franchise has evolved since I started my editorials but I’ll get to that later. Regardless, the Green Lantern franchise has the ability to be a big money draw for Warner Bros. and spawn myriad of films.
I’m not going to re-hash why Green Lantern failed because those points have been debated amongst our communities countless times since the film bombed. I’m sure we all have a pretty good idea what went wrong. Keep in mind that while I am writing about what DC should do to reinvent the franchise, they are entirely my opinion (basically I’m trying to say that there are things people don’t like about Green Lantern that I find acceptable and do not wish to change). If your solution to the problem is to throw everything else and revamp from the beginning/completely, you won’t find that here. You should probably stop reading.
I want to begin by first touching upon the casting for Green Lantern. We begin with Ryan Reynolds. His take on the character of Hal Jordan has been hotly contested in the comic book movies community. I’ve seen arguments and supporters on both sides. Unfortunately for those of you who absolutely abhorred Reynold’s portraying of Jordan, I believe Warner Bros. should keep him for additional Green Lantern films. I am personally a fan of Reynolds and his…comedic performances. Besides, the mainstream audience already associates the character with Reynolds and I believe any misdirection of the character can be fixed through a good script (which Green Lantern lacked). Despite what you feel about the actor, he is a relatively big name in the industry which I feel is needed to elevate a less iconic character like Green Lantern onto the same level as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Just a little side note. In Green Lantern, Reynold’s Hal Jordan was a little too comedic and happy-go-lucky. I think the character needs to be toned down considerably. I’ve always seen Hal Jordan as a very serious guy who has gone through a lot of hardship (which indeed he has). I want to see a mature Hal Jordan, not the young, brash one, who even with Carol Ferris is very serious with (conversationally, not necessarily relationship-wise). I almost see the character more like Batman than anybody else (meanwhile Superman needs to lighten up). I think the young, brash comedic character should be left to the Flash.
Other characters I do not wish to re-cast are Mark Strong as Sinestro and Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-Re. Temuera Morrison’s role of Abin Sur was so minimal, I don’t feel it is necessary to recast him either. Sadly Michael Clarke Duncan passed away so his role as Kilowag will have to be re-cast (though I am not going to touch on that here). The character of Thomas Kalmaku should be written out completely as he served absolutely no purpose in the first film. The Hammonds…well, let’s just say it’s a good thing they won’t be sticking around for the sequel. The character of Carol Ferris however is in dire need of a recast.
While we can all acknowledge that Blake Lively is a lovely gal, she’s not so great on the acting (though I didn’t mind her role in The Town) and did not fit the criteria for the character either (though again, script/characterization is partly to blame). My main beef with her (besides the wooden acting) is that she visibly looks ten years younger than Reynolds despite the fact that they’re supposed to be of relative age. Besides the fact, I can’t take her seriously as both a talented pilot and a savvy businesswoman. With that being said, I think any future Hal Jordan-centric future Green Lantern films featuring Carol Ferris should focus solely on her role as CEO of Ferris Aircraft and with that, an older actor is needed. This leads us to the first fancast of this editorial:
Abigail Spencer as Carol Ferris: This role was a toss-up between Spencer and Annie Wersching, both women in their 30s who resembles Carol Ferris and has a plethora of supporting roles on their resume. What made me tempted to cast Spencer over Wersching is Spencer’s rising star status (she slated to be in four films next year and is a serious regular on Rectify) and the advantage she holds over Wersching in number of films in. Because I am envisioning a rather minor role for Carol (for the most part) I don’t think it’s necessary to enlist a big name star to play the role. I don’t feel it’s necessary for Carol Ferris to ever be Star Sapphire but I’m not opposed to it either. Just in case anyone does feel hesitant about recasting a major supporting character, switching from Terence Howard to Don Cheadle in the Iron Man series seems have worked pretty well.
The character of Amanda Waller can ultimately become an important government figure in the DCCU. I am not oppose to keeping Angela Bassett in the role because she is ultimately a decent actress and her role in the first Green Lantern was so minimal that her character can be “changed” without making much difference even if the same actress was playing the role. I do favor the older Amanda Waller in the comics. However, she does need a new haircut. Award-winning Mo’Nique is another potential actress to portray a heavier-set Waller. (For the record, I do not anticipate Waller appearing in future Green Lantern films).
I want to switch gears and now focus on the overall aesthetics of the film and the production design. While I enjoy the digital creation of the various alien forms in the Corps as well as the design of Oa, its potential was never reached. Despite the film’s astronomical budget, many of the digital creation felt weak and incomplete. This goes to show the difference between something that was completely digitally mapped out and those that used CGI to enhance physical prosthetics or sets. Even though Star Wars was filmed many decades ago, the alien life-forms in those films felt tangible, like you can actually touch them. That’s because they were. I don’t expect the production crew to go that route anymore but mo-cap has proven so successful recently it makes me wonder why that wasn’t an option.
Of course we now inevitably arrive at the costume debate. Once again, there have been debates and arguments from both sides. And again, I must disappoint a great deal of you. I believe the costume concept in Green Lantern was brilliant. Did it look good? Not great, but I believe part of it was, again, the digital effect. Notice that I mention that the concept was good. A uniform created from pure energy that conforms to the tissues and muscle of the alien species that it embodies is original and fresh. It also makes perfect sense. If this wasn’t the case and a standard “spandex” suit was used, where would Hal Jordan keep it? Underneath his clothes? No…that’s Superman’s specialty. Physically in a ring like the Flash? No…that’s stupid. And if the suit was made of pure energy, why should it look and feel like earth materials? This idea also still allows for differences in costumes for between human Lanterns. While it maintains the stripe-y tissue-like look, the dark and light parts of the costume can change. The costume is supposed to reflect the wearer’s personality right?
Now on to the actual future of the franchise. I believe that the future of the Green Lantern franchise begins with a new feature film starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. This film should serve as a pseudo-sequel to the first, just enough so that we don’t have to start over but also that we don’t get caught up in the bad publicity of the first one. Aside from Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong, the cast should be new and the design tweaked.
I once believed that the four core human Lanterns would be able to carry their own films. I am not so sure anymore, mostly of Guy Gardner. The character is very similar to the Ryan Reynold Hal Jordan we’ve seen already except while Jordan can mature, Gardner kind of stays there. Sure, at times, he is an interesting character but he will also be seen as the fourth-wheel behind Jordan, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner. The reason why I am not considering Baz and Alan Scott is because Scott isn’t a Green Lantern Corp. Green Lantern and Baz is new to both mainstream audience and comic book audience. Having four modern human Lanterns is already enough.
In any case, this is what I’ve been saying about the Green Lantern franchise being such an important asset for DC and Warner Bros. Both Jordan and Stewart can potentially hold its trilogy. While Rayner can definitely hold a film, I’m not sure how he will fare with repeated use (I don’t follow the Lanterns very much except Jordan). May Rayner and Gardner can each get one solo films and then cross-over to the other two’s films. Ultimately, all of these films can culminate in a large-scale Green Lantern extravaganza, independent of the Justice League. It’s like merging 2 full trilogies and two solo films into one giant Green Lantern film to end all Green Lantern films. Through this plan, we will explore the far reaches of space, a territory so vast and unclaimed by any of DC’s other major heroes. Green Lantern I feel has the most opportunity and the best chance to come out with an original storyline and villain and remain successful.
This plan would obviously take a long time to enact since they wouldn’t be DC only properties to hit the big screen. I wouldn’t mind of Hal Jordan disappeared or died without completing his trilogy. Rayner can ultimately take over his series. It’s just a suggestion. Don’t hate me for throwing it out there. In terms of what the giant Green Lantern extravaganza could be, I would certain like to see Sinestro Corps enacted on the big screen. That’s an idea. While the comic book’s Blackest Night is never going to happen (it’s essentially a horror comic…one which will never fly with Warner Bros. whose main goal is to lure in as wide an audience as possible), the essence of a “blackest night” can still be used in some way. I would also love to see the other corps involved.
So without further ado, the following are my casting for the additional three human Lanterns to headline their own films. Probably going to get a lot of smack for what’s to come…
Idris Elba as John Stewart: We’ve all seen the posters that have been circulating around the internet the past few days. Is there really another choice? Idris Elba is one of, if not the hottest African American actor on the block right now. Not only has he received critical acclaim for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom but he has many experiences with action films. Other consideration includes Chadwick Boseman.
While I think being an ex-Marine is important to the character of John Stewart, I think it’s even more important that we see the role of the Green Lantern come from different walks of life. Thus, I think it’s best if the character was stressed more as a civilian architect or whatever; your average American type guy. Also, I wouldn’t mind if he took over Green Lantern duties for a future Justice League film but I do believe it should be Hal Jordan for the first one.
Bradley Cooper as Guy Gardner: As one of many pretty-faced actors benefitting from a late resurgence in dramatic, Cooper has proven himself in Silver Linings Playbook. It’s ironic then, that all he needs to do to fit into the Gardner role is channel his early Wedding Crasher’s performance as Sack. Douchey.
I think part of Gardner’s character development in the film is his journey from being a cocky no-good former juvenile delinquent (possibly an ex-cop like his New 52 incarnation) to a mature adult (possibly interested in social work with children). It will highlight his inner demon/secret stemming from the abusive or strenuous relationship he suffered as a child at the hands of his father.
Drew Roy as Kyle Rayner: Drew Roy is a virtual no-name who’s most known for his role in TNT’s Falling Skies. While he is unproven, I felt like a young actor was needed to not only differentiate between this character and the other three characters (all in their late 30s/early 40s) but to successful represent this new Lantern as the future hope for the Green Lantern Corps. I also looked at who resembles a young, down-on-his-luck artist in perhaps a big city. Because he looks the part, I casted him. However, this played into my hesitation to let him shoulder a trilogy like Reynolds and Cooper. Other considerations include DJ Cotrona, Jared Padelecki, and Chris Pine.
Below I listed a few of Green Lantern’s enemies I would like to possibly appear in a live-action film. I did not attempt to cast them:
- Atrocitus, Larfleeze, Manhunter, Black Hand, Anti-Life Monitor, Weaponers of Qward, Fatality
- While I would love for Parallax to reappear, he needs to be VASTLY redesigned. This stupid, tumor-looking cloud mass was the worst possible design ever. Brings me flashback of Galactus in the Fantastic Four sequel.
I acknowledge the way he appears in the comics may not be entirely viable but something has to be done.
Well that’s it. I intentionally kept this editorial shorter than the rest. Hope you enjoyed the read. Comment in the usual spot.
Up Next: The Flash!