I think everyone will agree that 2011’s Green Lantern was a horrible misfire. It was critically panned, a box office flop, and an enormous setback for Warner Bros. in general.
Luckily, it seems WB is willing to give the character another shot ... we just have to wait another five years to see it. If all goes as planned, the next Green Lantern film could at least wash away the bad taste of the first, if not redeem the franchise completely.
Here is what I would like to see from DC’s next attempt at Green Lantern.
Executive Producers
Charles Roven
Roven seems to be one of the driving forces behind the production of most of WB’s DC Comics adaptations, including The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. It makes perfect sense for him to be involved in yet another major DC Comics franchise.
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns gets a lot of unnecessary grief for the failure of the first Green Lantern. It’s true he worked on that film, but his official title was “Creative Consultant.” That’s the same exact title they’ve given George Lucas in the creation of Star Wars Episode VII. Basically, that amounts to the producers saying, “You don’t have any direct influence on our movie, but if you’ve got an idea, we’ll consider it.”
Michael Uslan
Longtime Batman producer Michael Uslan has a good working relationship with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. He’s currently an executive producer on Batman v Superman, and is set to be working on Warner’s upcoming Shazam! adaptation. So yeah, why not work on Green Lantern? Sure, he's mainly a Batman fan, but the title of Executive Producer doesn't require much creative oversight.
At least I don't think it does...
Producers
Zack & Deborah Snyder
It seems like Zack Snyder has taken the reigns from Warner Bros. when it comes to translating the DC Universe onto film. He and his wife are heading up both Wonder Woman and Aquaman as executive producers, so it only makes sense for them to be involved in this franchise as well.
Alex Garland
Alex Garland served as an executive producer on horror film 28 Weeks Later, as well as on 2012’s excellent Dredd. He has far more experience as a screenwriter, but I feel he ought to have some sort of input on the production as a whole, especially if...
Writer/Director
Alex Garland
Alex Garland is an experienced sci-fi screenwriter, and a fledgling director who I think would be a perfect choice for a project like this. Warner Bros. seems to be looking at up-and-coming directors such as Jeff Nichols and Michelle McLaren, and Garland fits the bill perfectly. He’s written many great modern sci-fi films such as Sunshine, 28 Days Later, and the aforementioned Dredd. He also recently dipped his toes into the world of directing, having written and directed the critically lauded Ex Machina, released earlier this year.
Cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki
Emmanuel Lubezki is incredible, and yet you’ve likely never heard of him. He’s the reason Gravity looked so amazing. He shot Children of Men, The Tree of Life, and most recently Birdman. The guy is an incredible talent behind a camera, and with the right direction, would more than make up for the god-awful cinematography of the 2011 Green Lantern.
Cast - Heroes
Josh Duhamel as Hal Jordan
Age: 42
Rumor is that Zack Snyder wants an older, weathered, “broken soldier” version of Hal Jordan for the upcoming Justice League movie. If you ask me, this sounds a lot like the version of the character featured in the Gerard Jones era, including the controversial Emerald Twilight story arc.
Personally, I don’t mind this idea -- I think Gerard Jones’ introspective, grey-templed Hal Jordan was one of the most interesting era’s in the character’s history. I wouldn’t necessarily want to see him take the same villainous turn he took in the comics, but an older Hal Jordan sounds like a good direction to take the character in live action.
I’ve always pictured Jordan to be sort of a cross between Clint Eastwood and Han Solo, and I think Josh Duhamel would be able to play the part of a charming, cocky Alpha-male incredibly well. He’s got the kind of laid-back likability Hal has always had, even in his days as a hard-ass veteran.
Erik King as John Stewart
Age: 45
While it seems Snyder wants Hal Jordan, Warner Bros. seems to prefer John Stewart. Both characters have earned their places in the hearts of fans. Both have great potential -- but there’s always some kind of fan-war whenever anyone mentions either of them.
I like John Stewart. I do. I hope he’s featured in a Green Lantern movie -- but it would be a damn shame to totally sideline a great character like Hal Jordan. Fans will argue constantly over which character is more interesting, but if you ask me, neither Hal or John are interesting enough to carry a whole movie by themself.
So why not have both?
Erik King has been out of the acting business for a little while now. He’s probably best known for playing police Sergeant James Doaks in Showtime’s Dexter, but he plays the part of a short-tempered hard-ass amazingly well. He’d give John a great physical presence, and would be a great foil to Josh Duhamel’s Hal Jordan.
Oh, and one more thing -- two humans in the Green Lantern Corps is enough. Having Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, or (god forbid) all three of them would be massively overkill.
Jason Beghe as Kilowog
Age: 54
Screw all the human GLs -- Kilowog is by far my favorite character of the Green Lantern series. This lovable giant just has such a huge heart that he’s practically become the Green Lantern Corps’ mascot. I did a lot of thinking about who could do the voice (and possibly even motion capture) for Kilowog -- and eventually, for originality’s sake, I had to go with Jason Beghe of NBC’s Chicago P.D.
My previous choice was Kevin Michael Richardson, who previously voiced Kilowog in Green Lantern: The Animated Series. I very nearly chose Richardson, but I did want to be original about Kilowog. Bighe has the exact kind of gruff, no-nonsense voice befitting of the character.
Jeff Goldblum as Tomar-Re
Age: 62
Easily one of the best things about Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern was Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-Re. Say what you will about Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, but they did a phenomenal job casting the fin-headed fish man.
Or is it bird man...?
Whatever. Rush gave the character this kind of age-old wisdom that worked at the time. I picked someone who I thought could make Tomar-Re a bit more down-to-earth, while still retaining the character’s intelligence. That someone is Jeff Goldblum, best known for Jurassic Park, Independence Day, The Fly, and ... basically every other “geeky scientist” role from the mid-90’s.
Rhona Mitra as Katma Tui
Age: 38
When it comes to stories focusing on the Green Lantern Corps, I’m actually more of a fan of the 80‘s Steve Englehart-era generation of characters. That includes Sinestro’s direct successor, Katma Tui. Katma has always had big (and pretty infamous) shoes to fill, and would love to see this character done justice in live action.
For Katma Tui, I thought actress Rhona Mitra would be a solid choice to don the red makeup. She’s got this sharp, dangerous, but still beautiful kind of look to her, and I think she would make Katma seriously bad-ass.
Another reason for using this character is that she’s had a close relationship with GL John Stewart over the years, even marrying him at one point. If John is going to show up as a protagonist, it’d be great to include a character who is such an important piece of his comic book history.
Tim Curry as Salaak
Age: 68
Tim Curry is the type of actor who can just vanish into any role he plays. I love him to death, and he’s so immensely underrated. I would love to see him tackle the stuffy, four-armed computer whiz Salaak, and think he would play that role brilliantly.
Plus, who wouldn’t want to hear Nigel Thornberry’s voice coming from a tube-faced CGI alien?
Emily Browning as Arisia Rrab
Age: 26
Arisia is kind of a controversial character in Hal Jordan’s history, given her purported age and their one-time romantic attachment to each other. Since the 80’s, it seems like DC has kind of swept that whole issue under the rug, with some handwaving lines like:
“Well on her planet she’s 13, but on Earth she’s 213!”
Uh, yeah. Let’s just forget that ever happened. Anyhow, Arisia works much better as the team’s “rookie little sister,” as Len Wein introduced her in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps. To that end, I think Emily Browning would be a great fit for the character. She’s enormously cute, but in an innocent, almost asexual kind of way.
I guess it could also help that she’s worked with Zack Snyder in Sucker Punch.
John Ratzenberger as Ch’p
Age: 67
John Ratzenberger has voiced a whole number of Pixar characters, including P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life and Hamm the piggybank from Toy Story.
Now imagine that voice coming out of a glowing cartoon squirrel. Besides being freaking adorable and downright hilarious, Ch’p could easily end up being Warner Bros. answer to Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon. I just pray the more “serious” approach taken by WB doesn’t disavow the use of a talking cartoon squirrel.
Leonard Nimoy as Ganthet
Age: 83
Of course this has been suggested before, but how perfect is it? Nimoy is a sci-fi legend, arguably even more iconic than William Shatner. His voice would be perfection for a wise, old mentor to Hal Jordan and company.
Uma Thurman as Sayd
Age: 44
Sayd is one of the more recent additions to the Guardians of the Universe, created during Geoff Johns’ run. However, she’s still a very important member of the group. Along with Ganthet, Sayd is one of the more “liberal-minded” Guardians, and is more prone to making decisions based on emotional reactions than just cold logic.
The reason I can imagine Uma Thurman in this role is because of her experience as an actress. I almost chose another sci-fi legend Sigourney Weaver for this role, but in the end thought Uma Thurman could better portray Sayd’s wisdom.
Ian McKellen as Appa Ali Apsa
Age: 75
Yet another Guardian of the Universe, and a historical pain in the ass. Whereas Ganthet is wise and empathetic, Appa Ali Apsa is stuffy and frigid, prone to making conservative decisions when it comes to dealing with problems. As such, he’s never had the best relationship with Green Lantern Hal Jordan, or any other member of the GLC, really.
Warner Bros. seems to have a good work relationship with McKellen, especially after the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy. His skill as an actor speaks for itself, and I’d love to see him act a little bit against type. Instead of being the wise old man, he’d be playing the cranky old man -- and if you’ve seen his work on the PBS series Vicious, he’s quite good at it.
Cast - Villains
James Purefoy as Sinestro
Age: 50
Ah, Sinestro. The biggest shame is that we’re never going to see Mark Strong reprise this role -- but when life gives you lemons, you gotta make lemonade.
I’m only familiar with James Purefoy from the FOX TV series The Following, in which he played a Charles Manson-esque serial killer named Joe Carroll. His voice, presence, and look in that series is just so freaking sinister, I thought he’d be amazing as a guy named ... well, Sinestro.
We may never see Mark Strong wreck the Green Lanterns’ shit, but there’s always another actor out there who can don the red makeup and widow’s peak. Who’s to say the next guy won’t be at least as good as Mark Strong?
Bill Nighy as Krona
Age: 65
Bill Nighy is known as much for his comedic work as he is for his villain roles, especially his performance as tentacle-bearded Davy Jones in Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean films.
But what really got my attention was his role as Rattlesnake Jake in Rango. His voice was so awesomely evil in that movie, I thought he’d do great things as the renegade Guardian of the Universe, Krona.
Yes, I know technically Krona appeared in the first Green Lantern film, but his character was so watered-down that they never even mentioned his name. WB has been given a second chance to make this villain work, and I hope they don’t mess it up again.
Rose Byrne as Carol Ferris
“Star Sapphire”
Age: 35
Carol Ferris was another character from Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern that was treated all wrong. Instead of being the empowered, frigid, bitchy businesswoman she is in the comics, Carol was basically written as “Generic CW Love Interest.” She was Laurel Lance from Arrow, or Lana Lang from Smallville.
Eck.
That wasn’t necessarily Blake Lively’s fault as much as it was the writers, but if Carol were tackled again I’d like to see her portrayed as a cross between Nurse Ratched and Jodie Foster. That might sound like a negative thing, but at that point I think it would fall upon the actress to make the character more than just a one-dimensional ice queen.
Rose Byrne is very, very likable, as well as extremely beautiful. I think she’d be the right kind of actress to show audiences glimpses of the warm heart that Carol hides beneath her cold surface.
Christian Camargo as William Hand
“Black Hand”
Age: 43
Black Hand originated as a terrible excuse for a villain, and was made into something genuinely horrifying during Geoff Johns’ run. I say something instead of someone, because Black Hand is so detached from humanity that you can hardly even say he’s a person. He’s not complex. He’s not sympathetic. He’s a creepy, psychotic necrophiliac nut-bag, and probably the only “Earth-based” villain GL has that’s worth mentioning.
Christian Camargo is yet another Dexter alum, known for his role as sociopath Brian Moser, also known as the “Ice Truck Killer.” He’s got the perfect kind of darkness about him that would befit a character known as “Black Hand.”
Robert Englund - Nekron
Age: 67
Nekron is the physical manifestation of Death. First introduced by Len Wein and Joe Staton in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps, Nekron was revived by Geoff Johns as the main villain behind the company-wide “Blackest Night” crossover. Since this has literally been the single biggest story in Green Lantern’s entire history, it makes sense to try and translate it onto film.
Now honestly ... I’m not the biggest fan of “Blackest Night.” I think Geoff Johns’ previous “Sinestro Corps War” storyline is far superior. However, I can see it’s potential as a giant, epic movie event, and that’s why I’m including the characters of Nekron and Black Hand.
Anyway, Robert Englund is best known for playing nightmarish demon Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street series. As a horror icon, I think he’d fit into the part of Death Lord Nekron like a glove.
Michael Dorn as Mongul
Age: 62
Mongul has been one of Hal Jordan’s most hated enemies since he destroyed GL’s hometown of Coast City in the 90’s. An alien dictator with a massive superiority complex, Mongul is sort of like the poor man’s Darkseid.
Wait, no. Thanos is the poor man’s Darkseid. Mongul is more like the poor man’s Thanos. So he’s sort of “meh” as a villain.
Still, he’s leagues better than any of GL’s human villains, and if he were to make an appearance on film, I’d love to see Michael Dorn take a crack at playing him. Dorn is yet another classic sci-fi actor, best known for playing the righteous-minded Klingon Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation. His stature, voice, and presence would be perfect for Mongul.
So there you have it. That's my idea in a nutshell. Like it? Hate it? Comment below, let me know.
'Til next time.