Unlike the other main heroic members of the Justice League, Green Lantern doesn’t really have a definitive incarnation for the general public. While we always look to Kal-El, Bruce Wayne, and Princess Diana as THE Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, there isn’t a singular Green Lantern that people completely identify with. Hal Jordan is probably the most popular overall and is the incarnation that was brought to the silver screen by Ryan Reynolds in 2011, but there are generations that grew up loving the likes of Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, and John Stewart as well. The latter sticks out in particular due to his usage in the popular Justice League animated shows in the early 00s. So which will Warner Bros. roll with for their pending DC Movieverse? Virtually all of the above, if rumors prove true…
According to Collider, the Untitled Green Lantern Reboot that is currently scheduled for 2020 will actually be a Green Lantern Corps film…
Keep in mind that the movie is still in early development and a lot of things can change, but we’re hearing that the new Green Lantern movie will focus on more than one human Green Lantern. There are plenty of “Green Lanterns” across the universe, as they’re an intergalactic police force who wield powerful rings whose energy is derived from their user’s willpower. Their only weakness is the yellow energy of fear.
The most popular Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, who was the main character in the 2011 movie. However, Guy Gardner and John Stewart later followed Jordan, and they weren’t the last in the comics. But we’re hearing possibly two or all three—Jordan, Stewart, and Gardner—could be the leads of Warner Bros’ Green Lantern reboot.
Furthermore, the franchise will continue to focus on different Green Lanterns and never on just one, so really the Green Lantern movies look like they’ll be more about the Green Lantern Corps, which is an interesting approach.
This fits with what we have heard as well. It actually makes a lot of sense as well, both given the splintered nature of fandom preferences and the failure of the 2011 film. Why anchor yourself to one iteration of the character when you can have your cake and eat it too in this particular area? After all, the Green Lanterns are an intergalactic peacekeeping force, as opposed to a singular hero. That’s something that even the multiple iterations of The Flash cannot claim.
Inevitably one particular version will arrive first and serve as a defacto lead in such an ensemble solo spin-off. It’s highly likely that John Stewart will be that Lantern, even if only to further diversify the Justice League and (at least initially) offer up a different version of the character from Reynolds’. Word is that our emerald hero is likely to cameo in Justice League: Part One (2017) ahead of a more substantial role in Justice League: Part Two (2019), so don’t be surprised if at least one of these fellas is cast sometime in the next 12 months.
Who would you like to see as John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and Guy Gardner? And are you bummed that Kyle Rayner appears to be left out of the proceedings, at least for now? And what villains, beyond Common’s The Tattooed Man (appearing in Suicide Squad next year), would you like to see utilized in this potential Green Lantern Corps film?