*the following is an updated version of this article created to add more character development and explainaton to a previous concept, with more setup to an upcoming follow up article:
MY IDEA FOR A GREEN LANTERN FILM IN THE DCEU
We all saw Green Lantern 2008. It was bad wasn't it? Parallax was nothing like the comics, it spent way too much time on Earth, it was made by someone who doesn't understand how cgi works….
Anyway, we deserve better, and I want to give it to you. A couple ideas for how to make a good Green Lantern movie, mixed with what we’ve already heard about the planned Green Lantern Corps movie. This will take place in the DCEU:
It needs to have more than one earth green lantern. We need John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and Guy Gardner. I want to see a lot of green lanterns in this movie and have each play an important role. This is an ensemble cast.
It needs to have elements of a cop movie. This will ground it a bit and is true to the comics. Have them dealing with illegal Qward weapons deals, space terrorists trying to blow up planets, and Mongul running an illegal gladiator planet. That sort of thing.
Sinestro needs to be the villain. Sinestro is one of the most complex villains ever and he is 100% needed to make this movie good. This franchise is going to treat him like Magneto.
We need epic space battles. We need the Green Lantern corps facing off against the Sinestro Corps. We need Mogo too. This is a space opera at Star Wars level.
Make Green Lantern a big name. This is THE tent pole summer blockbuster. Every year we need one of these, like what Disney is doing with Star Wars. This story is filled with action, drama, high stakes, backstabs and switching sides, and above all heart.
It needs to be good. The DCEU needs a win and Green Lantern has the potential to be this. They did good with Wonder Woman but they haven't regained our trust yet.This, if done right, could be the next dark knight.
Also, in the DCEU universe, I picture space as a very political and corrupt place, full of outlaws, pirates, monsters, corrupt governments, and dictators. It's also a very fantastical and almost mystical place, with emotion based cults and religions.
So here's my plan:
Green Lantern Corps
The movie is going to be about whether or not you can rule through fear. It's gonna start small, regular police work, then fear comes in and things go up to new levels, it's war now, and finally, we end small again. Fist fight in a field.
These are the characters:
Hal Jordan: Confident, a bit cocky, he's lived by a “you only live once no fear” rule since the death of his father. He's matured since his younger days but mostly retains his attitude. He can sometimes try too hard and end up sounding like an idiot. His energy constructs are very random, but straightforward, mostly whatever pops into his head first to get the job done.
John Steward: A few years older than Hal, they met in a fist fight, but have since become good friends. Steward was in the army and is an architect. He's more mature, and takes and gives orders better than Hal. He’s the strong, silent, badass. He is respected, and unlike other lanterns, never wears his mask, letting Earth see his identity. He has a dark past he doesn't like talking about. His constructs are very technological, calculated, and multi layered. He goes with what he knows.
Guy Gardner: The newest earth green lantern. He’s still in training bust is as cocky and arrogant as a young Hal Jordan, if not more. He doesn't take orders, he has anger issues, and when he sees a problem he runs right at it without thinking. A lot of people wonder why a ring chose him. His constructs are hands on, things he can hold. He’ll make a two by four with a nail in it, grab it, and hit you with it.
Sinestro: Former green lantern, ousted in disgrace. He believes in order above all else, and believes that the only way to get order is by ruling not through will, but fear. He has a commanding presence, and you know someone's about to die whenever you see him. His constructs are designed for one purpose: pain.
First 15/20 minutes of the movie we start off with a retelling of Hal Jordan's origin, narrated by him. We see him meeting Carol as a kid, right before his father's death, which drives him to ignore his fears. We see him as the confident(kind of a jerk) test pilot, Carol Ferris as the CEO who hates Hal, we see the ring find him and take him to Abin Sur, who gives him the gist on being a green lantern, and sends him up into space. He gets trained, and sent on a ride along with Sinestro to see how it's done. Sinestro is super corrupt, beating suspects, is a dictator controlling his planet's government, and using fear to keep his sector in line. Hal reports him to the guardians of the universe and after a trial where he pleads guilty, not understanding how what he did was wrong, Sinestro is ousted in disgrace, swearing vengeance.
Flash forward to today, where on Oa, Kilowog has called John and Hal to help him train new recruit Guy Gardner. We learn about how the greatest weakness of a green lantern is fear, and rookies are unable to fight the color yellow, the color of fear, without training. Gardner gets mad and is sent home for the day. Hal claims he was never like that when he was recruited. Hal and John are sent to Coast city of earth to find Kanjar Ro, a criminal hiding out on earth after he was caught in a sting operation during an illegal Qwardian weapons deal. Kanjar Ro does not fear battling lanterns as he knows they can't use lethal force while he can, and he'll be bailed out by his superiors as soon as he's captured . He is defeated and Hal stops by his brothers home in Coast city before leaving, having dinner with his brothers family and Carol Ferris, who years later he's now dating, which is partly played for laughs. It's implied it has been many years since Hal was on Earth. Hal and John are called back to Oa.
They are sent to track down the Qwardian weapons dealers from before, who are meeting with an unknown buyer to sell a powerful energy source. When the weapon being sold is revealed to be dozens of yellow rings(made from the captured fear energy being parallax), and a power battery. The buyer is Sinestro, the sting goes south and a friend of Hal's (Tomar-Re) is killed. Sinestro kills the Qward and escapes with the rings in the Qward’s ship along with the captured Parallax. The green lanterns return to Oa. The Guardians of the Universe, ancient aliens who run the Green LANtern Corp, send out a message to every sector to find Sinestro, and get the rings. Sinestro programs the rings to seek out recruits(they go to anyone who is knowledgeable on using fear as a weapon) On a Qward factory planet Sinestro has taken over and forced the weapons makers to constantly create more rings, the Sinestro Corps are formed.
As the new police force in the galaxy they must get rid of the previous one, the Green Lanterns. Sinestro sends an army to attack Mogo, a living planet that is connected to the green lantern rings and sends them to new recruits whenever a lantern dies. Within him are thousands of extra lantern rings, and a secondary backup power battery. Without Mogo the GL’s will be crippled. The Green Lanterns in Mogo’s sector send out a distress call to Oa as they attempt to battle an army of Yellow Lanterns. John and Kilowog lead several squads of Green lanterns to Mogo, but with a large amount of Green Lanterns off Oa, it's revealed to be a distraction and Sinestro’s most powerful disciples attack. Hal Jordan and the remaining lanterns attempt to protect the power battery, and Hal contacts nearby Lanterns, including Guy Gardner, for help.
Gardner is on Earth, where he works as a gym teacher for disabled children. He recently learned a dad is abusing his kid, and has gone to the guys house with his ring to scare the guy, when he is called. He is shocked to see all the yellow, but learns through battle to overcome the power of fear, the real motivation behind his anger.
The Guardians are desperate as Sinestro’s forces attempt to destroy the battery, and realize that the Green Lanterns are ineffective against Sinestro Corps(who can kill while the lanterns can’t) and reprogram all green lantern rings to allow lethal force. Two guardians disagree though, as they believe it could lead to the passing of a mysterious prophecy. The tide of the battle turns and Mogo, who is himself a green lantern, disintegrates a large portion of the attacking army.
The Sinestro corps retreat, and though the battle has been won, dozens of green lanterns are dead, and their rings are whizzing through the Galaxy searching for new recruits. The lanterns managed to capture a yellow lantern(kryb), and the lanterns interrogate her and learn the location of the Sinestro corps base(Qward factory planet) Hal vows to bring Sinestro to justice for his crimes, and him, John, and Guy lead the entire remaining green lantern corps to war.
The final battle between the Sinestro corps and Green Lanterns begins. Hal finds Sinestro, who has a caged Parallax that's energy is being sucked to make more rings. Parallax is drawn to Hal but is trapped in its prison. Sinestro and Hal fight, and the battle leads from the factory, to the sky miles above, to a field about a quarter mile from the factory where Hal’s ring runs out of energy and must be recharged after all the fighting. Sinestro tries to kill him as Hal runs and dodges the ring. Guy Gardner fights Lyssa Drak, Sinestro’s second in command, and shuts down the yellow power battery and disables the rings, including Sinestro's. Sinestro and Hal end up fist fighting in a field, a large rock is involved, and Hal wins, and keeps his promise to bring Sinestro in to be sent to prison.
The Sinestro corps are roundup and defeated. Later, Sinestro, who is now in prison reveals to Hal he still won, as his goal was to create a police force that the universe would fear, and now the green lanterns are feared.(remember Parallax was drawn to Hal, not Sinestro) We end with the lanterns honoring those lost, the guardians continuing to rewrite the rules of the corps so that this will not happen again, and the two guardians who didn't agree(Ganthet and Sayd) leaving to create their own corps.
End Credits: Kanjar-Ro on a ship smuggling weapons through the forgotten sector, something outside in space hits the ship. Something is inside slaughtering Kanjar-Ro’s crew, he is the only one left, we finally see what's there… Atrocitus. Kanjar-Ro is then incinerated by the red lanterns fire.
Connections to the DCEU:
Abin Sur could have been killed on the way to stop Zod pre Man of Steel
Some superhero references during the scenes on earth.
Krypton and Thanagarian references
Scarecrow getting a yellow ring at Arkham in a cameo