It's early days for HBO Max's Lantern, but Seth Grahame-Smith and Marc Guggenheim's series is reportedly looking to add new characters to a Green Lantern Corps roster which will include Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Sinestro, and Kilowog.
The Direct reveals that the highly anticipated, big-budget TV series will feature a lead character in the form of "Bree Jarta." It's unclear whether that's a codename or the actual name of this half-human, half-alien member of the Green Lantern Corps. Having a character with ties to Earth and space is definitely interesting, and not something we've seen explored even in the comic books.
As the site explains, "This new character will be half-human and half-alien to a human father and alien mother, having grown up on an advanced alien society on another planet. She is also described as being extremely committed and hardworking to earn her Green Lantern ring, wanting to uphold the values that the Green Lantern Corps stands for."
It's said that the plan is for this Green Lantern to be paired with Guy Gardner, and it sounds like there could be some friction between the two (this is Guy we're talking about, so that's hardly a surprise). Despite some similarities, this Black lead is not based on the recently introduced Sojourner Mullein.
Having a new character factor into Lantern isn't a massive surprise (especially if she's a trainee), and this adds even more diversity to the HBO Max show.
Click on the "Next" button to find out how Warner Bros.
can avoid past mistakes in HBO Max's Lantern!
10. The Costume
While the decision to go for a costume brought to life with VFX made sense in some respects, the end result was not great in 2011’s Green Lantern. The suit is made of pure energy, but what they ended up going with looked ugly and undeniably artificial.
Was this the result of poor special effects work or an indication that CGI superhero costumes simply don’t work? Perhaps at the time, it was a mixture of both, but Marvel Studios has proved this approach can work, as you need only look at the MCU's Spider-Man for proof of that.
This time, having an actor running around in a grey mo-cap suit will only work if Warner Bros. is willing to spend the money, and we just hope the white and black parts of the suit make the cut.
9. Ditch The Origin Story
We’ve been at a point in superhero movie history where we’re getting relative frequent reboots of releases which came out just a few years prior, and recycling origin stories really isn't necessary.
It will have admittedly been a good nine or ten years by the time Green Lantern’s next movie/first TV show arrives, and though that's a significant amount of time, why bother covering old ground?
Regardless of which members of the Green Lantern Corps we first meet, it would be much better to pick things up with an experienced Hal Jordan (or, hopefully, John Stewart) and avoid all the typical fish out of water and learning to use his powers scenarios which the 2011 version spent so much time on. After all, that can all be explained away in a matter of moments.
8. Make Oa Feel Like A Real Place
The biggest problem with Oa in the first Green Lantern is that it felt like a lifeless computer generated world (and looked like one too). In fact, it’s incredible to think that they apparently spent upwards of $250 million on the movie, and delivered such a bland base for the Green Lantern Corps.
Remember, Oa is actually one of the oldest planets in the universe, so make it look that way! Using real-life locations will help highlight the fact that this is an ancient world which has been home to the Green Lantern Corps for such a long time, and the right balance between old and new to make Oa a unique and visually very interesting location is a must.
Star Wars is the perfect place to turn for inspiration if Warner Bros. is unsure what direction to take.
7. Increase The Practical Effects
We've alluded to a practical take on both the costume and home of the Corps, and while the movie will have little other choice than to rely on special effects for the character’s powers, there’s still plenty which can be done to bring a more authentic feel to both the film and TV show.
When fans saw the first images of the Green Lantern Corps, the response was overwhelmingly positive, but as they ended being little more than blatantly CGI extras when in motion, that didn't last.
They felt lifeless due to the fact that actors were brought in at the last minute to provide their voices, and had no real personality. Using puppets and motion capture with a smaller cast would help a lot.
6. Give Sinestro His Due
Mark Strong was perfectly cast as Sinestro, but what a waste that ultimately ended up being.
The character had very little to do in the movie, and a mid-credits scene which should have been as exciting as when Nick Fury turned up to tell Tony Stark about the "Avengers Initiative" felt shoehorned in and wholly unnecessary. Now, the character is in desperate need of redemption.
There are a few different directions the DCEU could take Sinestro in, whether it’s pairing him up with Hal Jordan in a buddy cop type scenario (where they’re not exactly the best of pals) or having him already turned to the dark side as the leader of the Sinestro Corps. Either would work.
5. The Other Corps...
When Geoff Johns was writing Green Lantern, he made the genius decision to introduce a number of other Corps. Now, getting to meet some (or all) of them is essential regardless of whether it's in a movie or TV show, and something the that 2011 effort failed to capitalise on or even hint at (well, beyond the aforementioned Sinestro Corps tease which didn't make sense).
Each based on a different emotion, you have Green (Will), as well as White (Life), Red (Rage), Orange (Avarice), Yellow (Fear), Blue (Hope), Indigo (Compassion), Pink (Love), and Black (Death). There are countless stories which could be told with all of them, especially as they're made up of a lot of really interesting and compelling characters it would be amazing on screen.
Thinking about it, that HBO Max series is probably the best place to make this one happen.
4. ...And More Human Lanterns
If the next Green Lantern movie or TV does indeed take place a few years into Hal Jordan’s tenure as a member of the Corps, there’s no reason we can't meet some of the other human Lanterns.
Whether it’s John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Simon Baz, or Jessica Cruz, seeing any one of them would be a real treat for comic book fans and gives Hal someone to play off. Alternatively, the movie could be set after Hal’s fall as the greatest of the Green Lantern Corps (where, after being possessed by Parallax, he practically destroyed them all).
The fallout from that would be a very interesting place to pick up from in either a film or TV show.
3. Sinestro Corps War
If there’s one storyline which a movie or TV should prioritise adapting, it’s the epic Sinestro Corps War. Rightly considered one of the greatest comic book events of all-time, it’s a long and sweeping tale involving a number of characters and locations across the cosmos of the DC Universe.
Like The Lord of the Rings, you could have a story like this play out over a trilogy, but it would work just as well across a few seasons of television. A lot of Green Lantern’s adventures take place in outer space, but when Sinestro and his Corps (who use the power of Fear) invade Earth, a number of superheroes also ended up getting involved.
The story ended with a fistfight between Hal and Sinestro (minus their power rings), and that alone is something we definitely want to see brought a live-action setting in the DCEU.
2. The Right Supporting Cast
You would think that the 2011 movie made a smart choice by deciding to focus on two or three members of the Corps, but it came across as just plain lazy. The cast back on Earth didn’t fare much better as we had Hal’s annoying best friend (Taika Waititi in one of his earliest acting gigs) to contend with, and a number of unnecessary additions who had no real place being here.
As well as some of the characters we’ve mentioned throughout this feature, the reboot needs to keep a tighter focus on the relationship between Hal and Carol Ferris. On Oa, make it more of a team based movie if necessary, but give the aliens their own unique personalities and don’t just focus on two or three who are the most recognisable to casual comic book fans.
Honestly, the Guardians of the Universe could do with being a little more interesting too!
1. Parallax
After the abomination we got in Green Lantern, Parallax needs to be done right. As one of the seven emotional entities, the ancient horror is comprised of pure fear that can possess other beings.
Known to ravage planets and strike terror into the hearts of even the Guardians of the Universe, Parallax is a formidable foe and was wasted in the 2011 version. Instead of getting a terrifying monster like the one you see above, Marin Campbell instead offered up a big brown cloud.
To avoid any accusations of repeating what we’ve already seen, the eventual reboot should probably just tease Parallax instead of giving him a leading role. Tackling the story where Hal Jordan is possessed by this entity somewhere down the line could be truly epic film or TV event.