Mark Strong Wants to Finish Sinestro's Yellow Destiny in GREEN LANTERN 2

In his interview with Crave Online Mark Strong wanted to stress that he isn't seeking franchises. Actually he said he is quite nervous about attaching himself to a role that is destined to be a part of sequels. Even though he was reluctant, he did end up signing on for Green Lantern and John Carter. Why the change of heart? Mark thinks that times have changed. Where as an actor could avoid franchises twenty years ago, he says, "Now everything has a sequel. You have no choice."

The following is an excerpt from the interview with Crave Online

They already announced a ‘Green Lantern’ sequel. Are they inviting you back and giving you more to do?

Have they announced it?

Over the summer they said, “We’re doing Green Lantern 2!”

I think they’d like to. It didn’t make the money that they wanted it to make.

That’s why it was a bizarre announcement.

But I think what they’ve done, they feel they have a property that is interesting enough if they get it right. And now the advertising, the groundwork has been laid with the first one and I think they genuinely feel, because the second one I think exists in written form, they feel they have something that could work. Having said all that I’ve heard absolutely nothing and I have no idea whether they will go again, but I know there are two schools of thought. One, that it didn’t work, it didn’t make the money so we don’t make another one, and the other school of thought is: “Imagine we made a really, really good second movie. It could fly.”

Would you want to follow the path teased at the end with the yellow ring and getting corrupted?

Sure, yeah, because I got into the mythology of Green Lantern. I read all the comic books, or as many as I could, and I slightly got hooked. I got into that character. And if the second movie is exploring his fall, then I’d be very interested, yeah.

We only see two glimpses of you in the ‘John Carter’ trailer. Obviously they have to introduce John Carter first, but do you have some really nice juicy material?

I do. I’m not in it as much as the trailer might perhaps suggest because there’s a lot of us in it and there’s a big storyline between two warring tribes. There’s a big love story going on as well. My bit is one aspect of the film.

Then it might be accurate. We only see you twice.

But enough to be there as a presence. It’s my favorite kind of part. You just pop in and make stuff happen with the few scenes that you have. I play a character called Matai Shang who’s kind of the leader of a race who you’re never quite sure if they really exist or not.