It’s production hasn’t exactly been the most buzzworthy subject, but there’s plenty of reasons why you should be excited about Warner stepping out of their Batman & Superman comfort zone and try a superhero that might be one of their Superfriends: Green Lantern. Green Lantern has been in development for longer than I can believe, but the release date is finally in sight: June 17 of next year. It’s being directed by Martin Campbell, who is most famously known for directing Casino Royale, but also has some episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street under his belt, as well as being the creative force behind Edge of Darkness, one of the most critically acclaimed TV series ever created in the UK. See, I’ve already given you a handful of reason to be giddy and I haven’t even started the list yet. So without further ado, here’s five other things you ought to know in no particular order:
1. Ryan Reynolds – A native son of the country that has produced more Film Cynics than any other, Ryan Reynolds is funny as hell, and thanks to Wolverine, Smokin’ Aces and Blade Trinity he’s shown that he clearly has the chops for action, maybe even to the degree of Matt Damon. Reynolds in the starring role of Hal Jordan could indicate a bit of a zanier Green Lantern, hailing back to the silver age.
2. Mark Strong – My list of my favourite Mark Strong roles is forthcoming – however, I’ll probably be waiting until Robin Hood comes out though before I put anything in writing though. That being said, Mark Strong has certainly made his mark on film over the last 5 years or so with a diverse set of roles, all of them taking advantage of his intimidating stage presence. As far as his role as Green Lantern’s nemesis Sinestro goes, if the buzz is to be believed, he is taking things very seriously. The last article I read about him had him mentioning things about David Niven and Errol Flynn being the inspiration for the personalities of Sinestro and Hal Jordan (respectively), and indicating that he’d be channeling his inner David Niven in his performance.
3. The Power Ring – Picture the most powerful object in the universe, one so powerful that the only thing that could power it is a white hole (yep, the opposite of a black hole). While you’re picturing that, imagine that this object can create any object in the user’s imagination, and that it usually takes the form of something cartoony like a giant hand or a huge spatula or some kind of oversized wrench. Now imagine that it’s a glowing green ring that you wear on your middle finger and that it has no effect on the colour yellow. It’s kind of like melting down a genie’s magic lamp into a ring, except you never run out of wishes so long as you charge it every day.
4. The Corps – If you think that a movie about cops keeping the streets of L.A. or New York safe is interesting, think about a crew whose beat is the entire universe. Think of it like Hill Street Blues meets King Arthur meets Buck Rogers. Given that they’re supposed to be patrolling everywhere, it does seem a tad unfair to the rest of the universe that so much action seems centred on Earth, but shouldn’t we feel safer with all this extra security? We’re like the gated community of the galaxy.
5. DC Comics & Warner Bros. – Thanks to the success of films like Spider-Man, Iron Man and X-Men, Warner had been asking themselves what was so great about the DC Comics properties they’d paid all that money for. With the success of a thorough and serious portrayal of Batman, they’ve committed to pouring in plenty of money and plenty of care into every other superhero they own. Essentially, this will be the DC equivalent to Iron Man, being that Iron Man himself was more of a B-lister compared to Spider-Man, Wolverine and The Hulk – and we all know what happened there… Now that Warner is ready to take its DC Comics properties seriously, having the weight of their budgets brought to bear will be a wonder to behold. For one, it sounds like the Green Lantern costume is going to be done CG style somehow. Apparently, Ryan Reynolds has been wearing something resembling a mocap suit on the set, hinting that it might be a costume in the vein of Dr. Manhattan, sans the wang.
You’ll apparently be able to check out a sneak peek of Green Lantern in the July 27th bluray/DVD combo pack of Clash of the Titans. Not sure what the connection is, but there you go.
Never been a big Green Lantern fan – I always found the GL design to be more interesting than Hal Jordan (who comes across like kind of a d-bag). I’m interested in seeing how they realize the ring’s powers, though… Hoping for something not-too-CGI and not-too-wacky.
Hey, he’s no Guy Gardner, but he’s got that flawed All-American thing going on – it makes him into a more complex version of Superman. (I’m only realizing this now as I’m making as case for him to you now.) I’m more of a Barry Allen fan myself…
I’m hoping for giant cartoon hands, huge floating spatulas, and great big green life preservers in this movie, so I guess I’m holding out for an effects driven film. But I’ll be satisfied with effects in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
That’s exactly what I’m expecting – big, green boxing gloves… in 3-D!
And at least Hal Jordan is kinda of a d-bag. Who is Barry Allen, other than a nice guy? Pfft. Give me Spider-angst any day!
-boylorne
Hey, Barry Allen was rocking the police scientist thing before CSI made it cool. He’s the villain-killing, time-travelling martyr of the JLA! I don’t know what the buzz is, but I think Wally West is the guy they’re gonna be basing the movie on. He’s the goofball that everyone likes best.
I’m not sure I can stand behind Ryan Reynolds especially as the #1 reason lol. I hope he can change my mind with the upcoming Buried!
I don’t expect Captain America to understand
, however, I’m still saying that this list is in no particular order. But if I had to choose an actual number 1 I think I might be a sellout and say I’m most excited at the kind of money Warner Bros. is likely to spend on this movie… Still hoping this is gonna be more like Iron Man and less like Wolverine.
I’d be delighted to see this movie kick-start an on-screen DC universe like Iron Man with Marvel, but I’m also just a fan of the character. Those looking for comic book recommendations, Geoff Johns’ run on the character is easily one of the best recent runs in comics – I hope that the film stays true to at least the spirit of that version of the character.
Recommendations always welcome, sir! The last thing I read about GL was the collection of Denny O’Neil’s work on Lantern and Arrow from the 70s. That was fun stuff.
I think that much like with Iron Man, the public awareness of what Hal Jordan and Green Lantern are actually like is pretty sketchy, allowing for a very loose interpretation for the screen. Are you saying you’re hoping that Geoff Johns’ version is the one you’d like to see?
I think Johns is involved in some sort of producing capacity, so I’d imagine that might be the way they’re going. Johns went to great pains to make his run continuity-light and accessible (even going back and rewriting key events to give him a cohesive whole), and it’s pretty much the ‘definitive’ Hal Jordan to me. But enough geekery! Martin Campbell, Mark Strong and Ryan Reynolds. That’s enough to make this an interesting film for me.
Next year is going be bloated with superheroics.
Yeah, and you’ve gotta know that when the actual superhero fans are seeing market saturation on the horizon, it means there’s at least another 5 years of overdoing it ahead. This is when we can be geeks and snobs.
Oh I didn’t know Martin Campbell is behind this one, cool! I like Reynolds but Mark Strong is the main draw for me here, so I’ll be checking back for your post on him. A chat-worthy actor post is also coming up on my blog next week, courtesy of a fellow Strong fan. He’s impressed me in a lot of movies since I first saw him in the BBC miniseries The Jury years ago. I definitely look forward to this more than The Green Hornet.
Btw, what must one do to be included as your ‘friend’?
I’ll have to go ahead and agree with you about Mark Strong being an exciting addition to the film. I just think that Ryan Reynolds will offer more of a bright and shiny Tony Stark than a dark and moody Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker. Fun is fun.
As for being a friend… There’s a rigorous screening process, I assure you.
Would you like to do a little link exhange? Let’s do it!
Oh I don’t mind a little brooding hero a la Mr. Wayne, but yeah Ryan looks like a naturally jolly fella.
You’ve been a friend of FlixChatter for a while, so thanks guys!
No, thank you, Ruth! With the recent new addition to my family, my browsing of everyone’s sites might fall off a bit, but rest assured I’ll be out there.