Back in 2007, Greg Berlanti (creator of "Everwood"), signed on to co-write and
direct a live-action version of Green Lantern for Warner Bros., but reports state that he stepped down and was replaced by Martin Campbell ("Goldeneye"). In 2010, Berlanti explained to LA Times' Hero Complex how he initially ended up in the director's chair for WB's Green Lantern.
"I used my TV experience to try to develop multiple stories for it. I worked with an artist, and we drew out 20 or 30 images. I went in and pitched Warner Bros. and said, “This is what I think the three movies could be.” In my mind, Green Lantern was always the thing that succeeded the most at mythology. There was this whole space-opera element. There were all these additional characters, the guardians of the universe who the Green Lantern Corps sort of work for. … It seemed to me that this character was an avenue, in a way, of getting to those other stories and characters. As a storyteller, there was a wealth of opportunities. I tried to winnow it down to as cohesive a story as possible and went in and told it to them, and they were incredibly responsive. Greg Silverman, who was my executive on the movie there at the time, sent me off without an outline or anything. He was willing to take a shot on someone who hadn’t done this kind of feature before. I enlisted the help of two of my friends whom I’d worked with a bunch in TV who were also big comic-book fans [Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green] so we could generate the script even faster and use some of our television methodology in terms of generating something they could see the value in."
That artist Berlanti mentions above is none other than, Tim Burgard. Tim was kind enough to send comicbookmovie.com those very images Berlanti used for his pitch with Warner Bros..
Storyboards Created by Tim Burgard
How different would've things have turned out if Berlanti directed instead of Martin Campbell? Nobody knows. In the end, Berlanti did earn a writing and producing credit on the film, so some of his ideas, I assume, made it into the film.
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax...he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.
GREEN LANTERN was directed by Martin Campbell, from a script written by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Michael J. Green, and Michael Goldenberg. The film starred: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison, and Angela Bassett.
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