After a brief hiatus due to school, I am back for another rendition of my DC Cinematic Universe editorials. This time I will be exploring the reasons as to why, and how, WB should continue with a sequel to the 2011 disappointment,
Green Lantern, rather than rebooting the franchise. I know what many of you may be thinking, “They ruined it! It was terrible! Van Wilder in space! Blah! Blah! Riot!” However, please try to keep those ideas to the side and an open minded attitude as you read.
Continuity And Redemption
It is already known that the Justice League movie is in development with a screenwriter, release date, and rumored story ideas. Assuming that David Goyer is keeping Hal Jordan in the new movie, it makes sense that WB continues with a sequel rather than a reboot because the movie can still connect to a DC Cinematic Universe and the character’s redemption can be done in the Justice League movie. For example, there is a scene in which Hal Jordan states to his nephew, “You are missing your Superman birthday party.” This minor reference would be the ticket to continuity for the Justice League movie because it establishes that, if canon, Green Lantern happened after Superman was already established in the world, so a DCCU can still be built off of Man Of Steel. Now, the redemption could be done in a few ways. It could occur by having Hal be less arrogant and cocky during conversation and daily interaction, as well as during the action scenes. Hal could also be redeemed through The Flash because, as many know, Barry Allen, and even Wally West, can be a little more comedic and cocky at times than anyone on the team, which is what makes the two such an interesting pair. It helps dilute the bad taste that was left in Green Lantern, while also helping to wash away people’s impression of the character. Now, many may ask, “Why don’t you just do it like The Avengers and recast Hal?” I actually don’t have any solid reasons to this, except for that I believe Ryan Reynolds did a good job as Hal. Many people like to blame the actors for messing up a character, but the character was written in the script. He was the only one that noticed the writers had written the oath wrong, so he did care about the character. Bottom line: he did the best with what he was given.
More Space Scenes/Better Earth Scenes
A big problem that people had with the original film was that there was too much focus on Earth and not enough exploration of space, which also reduced the scope of the film. However, back in November of 2012, there was a report on Cosmic Book News from their source at DC Entertainment, who also gave information on scenes from Man Of Steel and Green Lantern drafts that were later confirmed to be true, about Green Lantern 2. The source reported that a first draft was written by Michael Goldenburg in late 2011, with the story by Greg Berlanti, Marc Gruggenheim and Michael Green. The source also gave info on the recast of the late Michael Clarke Duncan. However, why is any of this relevant? It is relevant because the story outline involved most of the film set in space, Sinestro visiting different worlds for recruitment, an intergalactic serial killer on who’s pursuit the film opens on, and a better sounding, structured plot that could very well redeem the franchise or at least make up for the first movie. The point I am trying to make is this: more space equals good.
Get A Good Director/Writer
There was a draft of the original script leaked online and it received praise from fans. Now, I never got to fully read it, however I can tell you that what I read was far from unsatisfying and looked much better than what we received. However, this does not mean we can’t have other people write the film. Personally, I want to get Geoff Johns and Michael Green in a room and see what happens. However, above all, I want a writer who understands the characters to the point where I can have a brief conversation about them. The writers and directors are the people that develop the movie, and developers need to know their stuff and have a genuine interest, otherwise you get an mediocre product. Speaking of directors, a sequel would need someone who can balance action, drama, a bit of comedic relief, emotional interaction, and a large scope. Personally, Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron: Legacy, comes to mind as a perfect candidate. Why? Say what you will about Tron or even Oblivion, but the guy knows how to handle great CGI, emotion, action, and a large scope in films. Martin Campbell has put out some pretty great movies, but I think it was too different of a film for Campbell to fully handle.
Sinestro Corps War
I don’t believe this needs much explanation because of how amazing the concept really is, but I‘ll provide, regardless. One of, if not the best parts of Green Lantern was the after credits scene that involved Sinestro switching his Green Ring for the Yellow Ring. Fans rejoiced at the sight of Mark Strong in the Sinestro Corps costume and I for one, if for any of these reasons, believe that the scene itself deserves a continuation in a sequel. It would be like the movie 300 with Corp members. Just imagine it for a second: Mark Strong reprising his role as Sinestro, his character being fully developed in the sequel and, near the end, succumbs to the temptation of power thereby resulting in one of the greatest cinematic moments in history!...Sorry about that, I teared up a bit and had to grab a tissue. Lead into it or split the second movie into two parts, it doesn’t matter; just do it.
Introduce Guy Gardner Or John Stewart
One of the best arguments for a reboot is to just scrap the original film altogether by introducing another Lantern. After all, there are four others at the moment to choose from. However, I say that, although it’s a good idea, it would work even better if another lantern showed up in a sequel with Hal Jordan. Why? Well, for one thing, it balances out the personalities of the Earth Lanterns by showing their personal differences. This then solidifies Hal’s character as what it should be, while also incorporating future lanterns for sequels or even spin offs. You create the possibility of a whole franchise just by introducing another Lantern. Now, should they all be introduced at once? Heck no. We don’t want another Spider Man 3 on our hands with too many characters to develop. Instead, choose one and add him into the movie. It gives a simplified, but acceptable origin for the other Lantern’s, while also doing everything mentioned previously. I say introduce Guy Gardner to show that Hal is not so arrogant and cheesy as audiences think or have John Stewart show up in the sequel to have Hal bring out his military styled personality. Either way, they are both great characters that would transition well onto the big screen and they can still be done without rebooting.
So what is your opinion on this? Do you want another Green Lantern film, regardless if it’s a sequel or reboot? As always, feel free to thumbs up if you like it and/or comment below. Say what you will about the Green Lantern movie, but it had a pretty good cast, it had it’s moments, and I believe it deserves a sequel. Until next time, this is Hal Jordan signing off.